Whoever She Is
by UnderdogAngel
Summary: I thought high school would be exciting, but I never thought we'd find out the Host Club's big "secret"! Serin's playing it cool, Kelsey looks a little confused, and I've decided to hate Kyoya for all eternity. Should be fun... Giftfic for EmiShae!
1. Reasons

**What is up with me and cranking out these stories lately? O.o Oh, well. It's good for you readers! ^.^**

**Anywhoo, this is a story that was requested by xXEmiShaeXx, the 50th reviewer of my **_**Fruits Basket**_** story, "Lovely Traces"! Emi, you're totally and completely awesome, and this story is dedicated to you, Scree, and Jane Austen! *sweatdrop* That will make sense soon, I hope... Shall I just go in my emo corner for being random? Tamaki and I have got some great mushrooms over there already... XD Thank you so much for your support in my writing, Emi! You're too sweet, and just plain awesome :3 I hope you (and Scree!) like this story!**

**Along with being based on the _Ouran_ anime (which I do not own any part of), this story is based on a number of songs (as my stories often are). As to the title, that's from a song (of the same title) by The Maine. Check it out if you've never heard it. It's amazing. Hopefully the influence of the song will be shown more as the story progresses. And -I just decided this when I was typing Chapter 3- some of the story line is partially based on _Pride & Prejudice_ by Jane Austen (my favorite book!). Yeaaahhh, sooo...this should be interesting, at any rate!**

**If you want to see pictures I found of what I think the characters most look like, head over to my profile and go to the links under the fiction information for this story :) Oh, and I rated it T just to be safe. Who knows where this story will go! *nervous laugh...***

**Thanks again, Emi! Enjoy! ^.^**

**-I. Reasons-**

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I quickly jotted down the homework assignment for my last class of the day. As soon as I finished and started packing up my things, I knew exactly how the next five minutes were going to.

I'd walk out into the hallway, where my best friend Serin would attack me. She'd say she was going to the Host Club again, and would I like to come with her? I'd come up with some lame excuse about homework (that I would probably never end up doing anyway) so I wouldn't have to go. I'd walk out to the car that was waiting for me every day after school, and I'd go home and wait for Serin to call to hang out at one of our houses.

It'd been the same way for the past year. Why would our first year of high school be any different?

I know what you're thinking. Why on _earth_ would I talk my way out of being entertained by the seven most handsome guys in the school? Did the idea not appeal to me _at all_? You're probably thinking I'm crazy, right? Well, you'd be right in saying that.

To be honest...I was just an introverted person. I liked my friends, and just being with my friends. I guess "friend" is the more appropriate word, though. New people... It's hard to explain. I just...freeze up when I'm around new people. It's not fun for me, and it does nothing but make things more awkward than they'd normally be. It's not fun for anyone, in short. It might sound like a lame excuse. But you try going into an old music room and making conversation with your choice of one of seven guys and see how confident you are.

No, I'm just lame, aren't I? At any rate...

I walked out of the classroom, bracing myself for impact, though I knew perfectly well that no amount of bracing ever prepared me for Serin's pounce.

"Heyo!" Serin shouted, throwing her arms around me.

I laughed in spite of my predictions. "Hey, Serin. What's up?"

"Since we talked an hour ago? Eh, the usual. My teachers are all insane."

"So what else is new?" I asked.

Serin chuckled. "Right." She grinned at me, fixing her bright blue eyes on me. "So, Emi..."

Here it comes, I thought.

"You gonna come today?"

I shifted my bookbag on my shoulder. "I, uh...I'm sorry, I can't," I said. "I've got this paper to write and-"

"EmiShae..." She used that tone that meant I was doing something stupid, and that she was going to hit me if I didn't stop.

I raised a notebook up in defense. "Don't hurt me!"

"I've got half a mind to. Come on, Emi...!"

"Serin, I promise, I-I'll come...soon, okay?"

She sighed. "Finneee..." She looked at me. "Call you when I get home, 'kay?"

"Right. I'll be sure to have my paper done so we can hang."

We bumped fists, said a quick goodbye, and then Serin ran off towards Music Room 3.

I held my notebook to my chest, maneuvering my way through the hallway that was filled with end-of-the-day traffic. I kept my head down, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone around me, and just focusing on getting out of the building.

But I looked up when I heard a thud that sounded like books falling to the floor, and girls giggling.

Three girls (who looked like second-years) walked past me, sniggering and whispering to each other as they occasionally glanced back over their shoulders.

I followed their gaze and saw a girl who looked about my age crouched down on the floor, books all around her. She looked on the brink of tears as she adjusted a pair blue-framed glasses on her face and brushed her brown, blonde-highlighted hair out of her face. She began collecting the books from under the feet of the passing students, who didn't give her a second look as they went down the hall.

I pressed my lips together as I looked at her. Should I help? I wondered. I can't just walk on by! I'd be no better than these other preps.

With that thought in mind, I stuffed my notebook in my bag, and walked over to the girl. I took a couple deep breaths as I got nearer, telling myself to calm down. See? It's that whole "new people" thing again. I comforted myself with the fact that it was just one person, and a girl at that. That meant not as much pressure, right?

I smiled down at the girl. "Need some help?"

She looked up at me with a pair of soft, blue-green eyes that were filled with surprise. She didn't say anything, just looked at me.

I decided not to wait for an answer, but knelt on the ground next to her and started picking up books.

She looked at me for another moment, then went back to picking up the books.

I scanned over some of the titles as I collected the books. This girl had some high-brow taste. Especially if those books were recreational reading. I wasn't even able to read some of the titles. What language were they in?

"Thanks," the girl said quietly as I handed the books to her.

"You're welcome." I stood with her, smiling.

She gave a shy smile back.

"I'm EmiShae."

She shifted the books in her arms and put her hand out to shake mine. "I'm Kelsey."

"Um...may I ask why you've got so many books?"

Kelsey laughed softly. "I, uh..." She shrugged. "I guess I just like reading. Only thing that keeps me sane."

I smiled. "You sound like my best friend Serin. But, uh, I noticed that some of those aren't in Japanese..."

"Oh, yeah. They're French."

I stared at her, then realized she would probably find that weird and/or scary. "You read French?"

"And speak it."

Now I couldn't help but stare at her. "That is so cool."

She blushed, shifting her gaze to the floor. "It's, uh...nothing, really. Just something I picked up."

If this girl was able to just "pick up" a second language, then I was convinced she was brilliant. I started wondering how I'd never met her before.

Kelsey looked down at a watch on her wrist. "Oh, um...I'm sorry. I've got to get going."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize! I stopped to make conversation. I'm sorry for keeping you."

She smiled a little again. "Don't be. It was nice to meet you, EmiShae."

"Nice to meet you, Kelsey."

And she turned and went off down the hallway, her arms full of books once again.

I almost screamed when I felt someone grab my shoulder.

"Geez, relax, will you?"

I gasped to get my breathing back to normal. "Don't do that, Serin!"

She chuckled, running a hand through her blonde, brown-highlighted hair. "Sorry."

"What's up? Thought you were going to the Host Club?"

"I was. But the hosts decided to take a break today, so club activities have been cancelled."

I just nodded. I guess it made sense. It was their club; they were entitled.

"Who's that girl you were talking to?"

"Oh, uh, someone knocked her books on the floor, so I stopped to help her."

Serin blinked at me. "You saw it?"

"No, I just surmised it from the giggling girls and the fact that she was about to cry."

"Mm," Serin said, nodding. "That was nice of you." She raised an eyebrow. "You're afraid of new people."

"I know," I said. "I just wanted to help her."

Serin smiled. "That's my best friend. So shall we gorge and sleep-deprive at your place?"

"Why not?" I tucked a strand of my strawberry blonde hair behind my ear and flicked a strand of white-blonde highlights out of my face.

We left the school building, getting in the car waiting out front. Unlike most of the other students at Ouran Academy, we actually made conversation with our driver. Mostly because our driver was my mom.

"Did you girls have a good day?" Mom asked.

"In high school?" we asked in unison.

Mom laughed. "There must've been something good about it."

"Emi made a new friend," Serin said, smiling.

"No, I didn't," I said. "I just helped her out. No big deal, seriously..."

"Either way, that was nice of you," Mom said.

"Mm," I said, looking out the car window as Serin and my mom had yet another thrilling deabte over the role of math in all our lives. I thought about this girl Kelsey for a little while. I'd only spoken to her for a minute, maybe two. We weren't friends by any means. Yet. I had this strange and unfamiliar urge to make friends with her.

What's wrong with me? I wondered. What happened to just sticking with my friend? Serin's practically my sister, for crying out loud! Still...

I was reminded of the look I'd seen on Kelsey's face -the look that she was about to cry. And then her surprise when I'd helped her. It was as if I'd been the first person to help her and speak to her -ever. But that was just crazy. I already knew that she was smart. How could she have no friends? No one to help her out? No one to talk to?

You're one to talk, I told myself. You've changed schools enough times to know what being the new kid and being alone is like.

See, my dad's work took him all over Japan. And every time he had to go somewhere new, my mom and I went with him. Six schools in eight years. It was murder. Finally, my mom put her foot down, saying that there was no reason to keep bouncing me around from school to school and town to town now that I was in my teens.

And, with that, we moved to one last new town, I was enrolled in Ouran Academy for my final year of middle school, and there you go. Oh, and my dad still traveled for work. He just didn't go anywhere for years at a time anymore.

I guess, moving around so much, I'd learned to distance myself from everyone. To not get attached. Maybe that's why I was still afraid of new people, even now that I was in my second year at Ouran. Maybe I was still paranoid that I'd be uprooted again.

Ouran was where I'd met Serin. Within the first month of our third year of middle school, we were sitting together during every lunch, and having sleepovers nearly every weekend. By the end of the first term, we'd decided we were best friends.

See, I don't think it matters whether you've known someone for six months or six years. If they're a best friend, you just..._know_.

That made me start wondering why Kelsey was so shy. Had she been moved to a million different schools in the past, like I had? Had she taught herself not to get attached to spare herself unnecessary pain?

Or was it something else entirely?

I didn't have any more time to think about it, because, as soon as the math debate was over and we'd reached my house, Serin started in on another "Convince EmiShae to come to the Host Club" pitch.

I could understand the attraction of a high school host club. I, myself, just couldn't seem to get over my own fears and limitations that I'd set up in my life.

"Since you know how this conversation is going to end," I said, walking into my room, "might I make a suggestion?"

"Shoot," Serin said, tossing her bookbag on the floor next to my desk.

"I propose...working my way up to the Host Club."

She blinked at me. "What d'ya mean?"

"Well...that girl that I helped today? Her name's Kelsey, by the way."

She nodded.

"I don't know why, but I'm really feeling like she needs a friend."

Serin nodded, now in understanding. "Ah, I see. So what you're saying is that you'll try to make friends with this girl first, and _then_ try to actually walk into Music Room 3?"

"Exactly," I said. Then I added in my head, _Walk in the door, then turn around a run really fast in the opposite direction._

Later that night, after Serin had gone home, I tried to convince myself that this wasn't just another excuse to not go to the Host Club. I really did want to make friends with Kelsey, for whatever reason.

I told myself that I was just avoiding the Host Club because I didn't want to make a fool out of myself or pass out because of all the new people. I told myself that those were my reasons, and tried to convince myself that they were legitimate.

But as another face flitted through my mind's eye...I thought that maybe I was better at lying to myself than I thought.

**Hrm... That's shorter than I remember... Perhaps I will have to post Chapter 2 as well xD Anyway, thoughts? Shoot 'em at me! Thanks for reading! ^.^**


	2. First Impressions

***uncharacteristic, long, loud squeal* EEEE! Thank you SO much, Emi and Scree! Your reviews seriously MADE MY DAY :D Thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you're liking the story so far! And, just to show you how much I LOVE you both, here's Chapter 2!**

**...Why do the first chapters of my stories always seem so short? ! **_**Eheh...**_** They do get longer, I swear!**

**For anyone else out there reading this, thank you so much! As for everyone, I'd love to hear what you think! So let me know! ^.^**

**Thanks again, Emi and Scree! Love you guys! :D Let's get on with Chapter 2!**

**-II. First Impressions-**

You know those old sayings that your parents always tell you, and you hear them so much that you just start to ignore them instead of actually believing them? Well, I'll tell you right now one that your parents got right.

_First impressions can fool you._

The next day at school, Serin and I both kept an eye out for Kelsey. I'll tell you something- in a school that size, one person wasn't easy to find. Especially one whose face you'd only seen once.

Halfway through the day, we found out that we actually did have one period in common: Lunch. But it wasn't in the cafeteria that we found her.

No, we found her outside. Up a tree. Reading. She looked something like Alice from _Alice In Wonderland_, especially in that yellow dress the girls had to wear for uniforms. Except I think Alice hated studying and reading, if I'm remembering right?

Serin and I looked at each other, then back up at Kelsey. Could this be why we'd never seen her at lunch before?

Serin elbowed me in the side and nodded up at Kelsey. "Say something," she whispered.

"Why? Maybe we should just leave her al-"

"Oh, no, you don't. You said you wanted to make friends with her. As your best friend, it is my duty to help you see your goal to the finish. And make a friend out of her myself."

I shook my head.

"And I'm telling you that if you don't at least say hi, I will take you up to the roof, and Sparta-kick you off it."

I knew Serin well enough to take her seriously when she made threats like that. I looked at Kelsey nervously, then back at Serin. "Uh, but, uh... What do I say?"

Serin smacked me in the back of the head. "Just go and say hello, for crying out loud!"

I rubbed my head. "Okay, fine..." I shuffled closer to the tree, wiping the fact that Serin had hit me in the back of the head off my face and replacing it with a (hopefully) genuine smile.

I cleared my throat. "Uh, hi there."

Kelsey started slightly, snapping her head up from her book. She furrowed her brow, then looked down at me. "Oh, hello," she said. Her voice was soft, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her speaking. "You're EmiShae, right?" She smiled a little. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to thank you again. For, uh, helping me in the hall yesterday."

"No trouble at all," I said. "I, uh..." I struggled to find something to say. Then, I did the first thing that came to mind. I grabbed Serin's arm and pulled her over next to me. "I wanted to introduce you to Serin, my best friend."

"Hello," Kelsey said. "I'm Kelsey."

"Hi, I'm Serin," Serin said with a smile.

"I suppose I should come down and shake your hand properly."

Before either Serin or I could protest, Kelsey had dropped her book down onto the grass, and climbed down from her branch as easily as if it were second nature. She picked up her book and walked over, extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Serin."

Serin looked at her in surprise for a moment, then shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, too."

Well, I thought, so far, so good.

Kelsey ran a hand over her hair. "Don't tell me you two went out of your way just to look for me."

"Of course not!" Serin said. "Emi had been telling me about you, and I wanted to meet you, so..."

Great, I thought sarcastically. Now we sound like stalkers.

To my surprise, instead of looking weirded out or suspicious, Kelsey looked...shocked.

"Y... You wanted to meet...me?" she asked, pointing to herself.

Serin raised an eyebrow. "That's...a surprising thing?"

Kelsey quickly shook her head, looking down. "Sorry. I just..." She looked back up, shifting her gaze between Serin and I. "No one's ever wanted to be introduced to me before, so it just caught me a little off-guard."

Serin smiled. "Why wouldn't anyone want to meet you? You seem like a really nice girl!"

"Seriously," I said, nodding.

Kelsey's cheeks flushed a light pink. "Thanks. B-Both of you."

Serin stepped forward and slung an arm around Kelsey's neck. "Y'know, EmiShae Nakamura, I, Serin Horomshikai, think that this girl, Kelsey..." She looked at Kelsey.

"Oh, uh, Okamoto," Kelsey said.

"...think that Kelsey Okamoto would make a great new friend."

Serin always did make friends easily. And, boy, was she proud of the fact. I sort of envied her for it, really. Where I was terrified of new pepole, Serin loved them. Drawn to them, you might say. It was a wonderful gift she had, making friends. And it was my curse that I ran away from them. Guess it's a good thing I had her around, otherwise life would've been very boring. Trust me.

Kelsey got that shocked look again. "Wh-what?" she asked. "M-Me? Your friend?"

I found myself smiling widely. "Great idea, Serin!" I looked at Kelsey. "What do you say, Kelsey? I know that I just ran into you yesterday and all, but it'd be really cool if you wanted to hang out with us and stuff."

"Yeah, and show us how to climb trees like that in these dresses," Serin said, pointing at the tree, and then nodding down at our yellow uniform dresses.

Kelsey smiled, laughing softly. "Um, well..." She smiled at us. "To be honest, I'd really like that."

"Awesome," I said smiling.

Then Serin started grinning. "Hey...I know the first thing the three of us can do together."

"Uh-oh."

As soon as Kelsey and I said that word in unison, I knew it was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship. Or, at the very least, an interesting one.

**;;;;;**

So remember what I said about first impressions? The first time I'd met Kelsey in the hallway, I'd thought that she was a very shy, introverted person. But I soon learned from her actions and words that she didn't like being that way. That there was a fun, random person inside her just waiting to make friends.

But we'll get to that a little later. Now, back to Serin's evil plan. Which she enacted the next day after school.

**;;;;;**

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, _noooooo_!" I protested as Serin pushed me down the hallway.

Kelsey jogged along to keep up. "Might I put in that I'm against this as well? Whatever it might be?"

Kelsey had already made it clear to both of us that she spoke much more formally around people she didn't know very well. She didn't even seem to make an effort at it, as if this manner of speaking just came naturally to her. Anyway...

Serin gave me a look. "Emi, stop complaining. You said you wanted to work your way up, and that's what we're doing." She smirked at Kelsey. "If you're against it, why are you coming along?"

"To save me?" I asked hopefully.

Serin smacked me in the back of the head. "Or it could be that she's curious...?" She looked at Kelsey again, awaiting an answer.

Kelsey cleared her throat. "I, uh-"

"I knew it."

"No, I mean, um..." She smacked herself in the forehead. "Oh, geez... Well, you said we're friends now, and...friends just don't leave their friends...right?"

"I'll take that as a, 'You're so right, Serin!'"

I rolled my eyes. "Stop freaking her out on the second day of our friendship."

"I _will_ smack you again," Serin threatened.

I looked at Kelsey apologetically. "You'll soon find out that Serin is just abusive by nature, but she means well."

"Darn right," Serin said. She looked up and smiled. "Ah, here we are."

The three of us looked up, and I know I wasn't the only one who gulped at the sight.

Never had the words _Music Room 3_ looked so ominous.

Serin and I both looked away from the sign when we heard a book _thud_ onto the floor.

Kelsey was staring, her eyes wide, shifting her gaze between the sign and the door. The _thud_ we'd heard was her book dropping from her hands. She started stuttering unintelligibly.

Serin released me and we walked over to her.

"Uh...Kelsey?" I asked. "You okay?"

Kelsey just went on stuttering and staring.

Serin waved a hand in front of her face. She leaned across Kelsey to talk to me. "Should I get a bucket of cold water?"

"The- The Host Club?" Kelsey finally stuttered out.

"Ah, so you _do_ know them," Serin said.

"Well, I know _of_ them," Kelsey said. She started shaking her head violently, and bent down to pick up her book. "N-No, I can't. I'm sorry. I just... I can't."

"What's the matter?" Serin asked.

I put a hand on Kelsey's shoulder. "Don't like new people?"

She laughed softly once, as if I'd said something ironic. "Yeah, something like that." She looked at us. "Look, I really appreciate you guys wanting to be my friends, but the Host Club is just something I can't do. To be honest, I don't really understand it, but it's...more than that. I-I should probably be getting home anyway."

Kelsey then turned and started to walk away. Serin and I exchanged a quick look, then went after her.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Serin asked.

"Nothing anyone would care to hear. Nothing that's fit to print, as some might say."

Serin and I could both tell she was already on the verge of tears. There was no way we were letting her get away in this state.

"Listen, why don't we go out to the fountain out back and talk?" I suggested.

Kelsey had that surprised look yet again. "...Talk?"

"Yeah, you know," Serin said, looping her arm around Kelsey's shoulders, "we bear our souls, tell secrets, cry a little, and get the problems out."

She didn't give Kelsey a chance to object.

We went outside the building, and out to the fountain I'd spoken of. (If you know Ouran Academy, you now which fountain I'm talking about. The one that showed that the designers of the school really did have a sense of humor.) We sat down on a set of steps across from the fountain, and sat in silence for a few moments, drinking in the mid-spring sun.

A couple cherry blossoms rolled along the ground in the breeze, toppling around like little tumbleweeds. Kelsey trailed their paths with her eyes, watching them almost intently, instead of absentmindedly like Serin and I were. Kelsey seemed like a very...intense person, even as soft-spoken as she was.

I looked at her for a moment, then up at the windows high above. I knew what room they were to, and I knew Serin knew as well. Had I picked the spot subconsciously? Or had I just picked the first place that had come to mind?

Kelsey, surprisingly, was the first to break the silence.

"To be completely honest, you're the first people to talk to me in...well, a long time."

Serin and I looked at Kelsey as she spoke.

"I... I've never really been...open with people. Maybe that's partly my fault. I think it's mostly public school's fault. Have you ever thought about how hard it is to make friends, really?"

I knew Serin hadn't. I knew I had.

"It's easy to get lost in the shuffle of a big school -easy to fall through the cracks. I've lived most of my life flying under the radar of my schools, not getting close to anyone or making myself too noticeable. I was just the girl that sat in the back of the class who got decent grades, and was always writing song lyrics or doodling in her notebooks. Or maybe sitting off by herself reading.

"I thought maybe coming here would be different. Up until now, it was the same old story. Just drift along, don't make waves. That's the mentality that's been shoved down my throat ever since I can remember. Just make it through school, and learn as much as you can. Friends don't matter, much less memories. Let me tell you that it's easy to do...but it's hard to get out of.

"When you've been told and called a nobody for as long as I have...it's very easy to convince yourself that that's the truth. That you are just another face in the hall, just another person who lives in a house with other people, and that no one cares about you."

I wondered for a brief moment why she was confiding all this in us on only the third day since we'd met. It sounded like maybe she'd kept everything pent-up inside for so long that she just wanted to get it out in the open -to have someone listen to _her_ for once- even if she didn't know them as well as she might've liked to before telling them.

She sighed shakily and paused, as if deciding what to say next. "Because of some...things that have happened over the years, I was put into and bounced around a make-shift foster care system. Basically my extended original family. I guess now that I'm sixteen and attending Ouran Academy on scholarship, they figured I was okay to be on my own." She gave that same ironic laugh. "I must've been adopted or something, to not even fit in with my own family."

She looked at us, then sighed. "I'm sorry... This is way too heavy to be laying on you two. I mean, we've only just met, and..." She was close to tears again. She shook her head. "I should just go home."

At the same time, Serin and I each put a hand on one of Kelsey's shoulders, stopping her from standing.

She looked at us, her blue-green eyes shining with tears.

We sat in silence for a few moments.

"That...explains a lot," Serin said, nodding. "It's nothing to apologize for."

"Yeah, everyone's got a past," I said. "Some people's are just...heavier than others."

Serin looked at Kelsey. "Do you trust us? I mean, you just basically told us your whole story, so you must trust us just a little bit, right?"

Kelsey sniffled and nodded. "Strangely enough, I already do trust you both."

"Then trust me when I say that -all that crap in your past? That's gone. You've got us, now. And we're always gonna have your back."

"Yeah, what she said," I said. "We're friends now. And it's like you said. Friends just don't leave their friends. They don't drop each other just because things are complicated."

Serin squeezed Kelsey's shoulder gently. "So...no more crying, okay? Unless they're happy tears."

One tear trailed its way down Kelsey's face as she smiled a little and nodded. "I think you two might just be the best friends I've ever had."

We smiled widely at her and enclosed her in a sandwich group-hug.

"So...other than the fact that you're not good around new people...why _won't_ you go to the Host Club?"

"Serin..." I said.

"What? You know I'm a moment-killer."

"She is," I said to Kelsey.

Kelsey nodded. "Yes, I can see that."

We talked a little more, and decided to go over to my house for some "homework." (When do friends who intend to study actually get any studying done? Well, we didn't, anyway.)

As we stood from the stone steps and headed back inside, I looked up at the window above us. I told myself that I was just glancing up there, not really looking. But, as I said before, I think I'm better at lying to myself than I thought.

A tall figure with blonde hair snapped his head away from the window and quickly walked out of sight, as if he'd seen me looking. A slightly shorter one with black hair (and I thought I saw glasses on his face) stayed at the window, writing something in a black notebook. I thought I saw a pair of red-headed twins run off after the blonde. I saw a much shorter blonde sitting on the shoulders of the tallest one, who also had black hair. A seventh followed the twins away, running a hand through his short brown hair.

I didn't know it then, but it would be those seven figures (three in particular) that would be the people to turn our entire world upside down.


	3. Convinced

**SQUEE! Emi, Scree, you two are DA BEST! :D Thank you both SO much for your encouraging reviews, and for...everything else! xD**

**And thank YOU, Shadow Mistress-of death! Thank you, thank you for saying this story is awesome :3 I hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**Okay, so you've been waiting long enough! The moment Emi has been waiting for (but not in the story...) has arrived! (Please don't kill me, Emi! xD)**

**Enjoy Chapter 3! ^.^**

**-III. Convinced-**

There were a lot of things I was convinced of. Just to name a few...

1. I was positive my mother could convince anyone of anything. She could've convinced Columbus into retracting his statement about the earth being round, not to mention convinced him that he'd actually discovered a new planet rather than a new continent.

2. My father could be convinced of anything. (See #1 for explanation.)

3. Since I was their daughter, I should've been blessed with one or the other. Unfortunately for me, I got my dad's side of it.

4. Serin somehow got my mother's convincing powers. She could've talked Oedipus into leaving home.

5. Kelsey was almost as stubborn as I was. (I had been convinced of this a week after meeting her.)

6. There was one way to convince Kelsey and I of something.

And 7. Serin had found that one way.

**;;;;;**

After the day when we'd sat out by the fountain and talked, Serin made almost scheduled attempts at getting at least one of us to accompany her to the Host Club. So far, neither Kelsey nor I was ready to give in.

Seems we were both a little stubborn.

Aside from that, our first week passed quite...happily. Kelsey was opening up to us, and us to her. She didn't speak in her formal way to us anymore. She smiled more, and spoke louder. She had almost completely lost the shocked look she got when we asked her questions or said something nice to her (though we still saw a trace of it when the latter happened).

I know, in one week? Guess that's all it takes for some people.

In our days together at school, and the afternoons hanging out at Serin's and my houses, we discovered a few things about Kelsey. Just to name a few...

1. She was just as random and fun-loving as we were.

2. She definitely wasn't shy once you got to know her.

3. She played the guitar.

4. And sang.

5. And wrote.

6. And drew.

7. And claimed she wasn't good at any of them.

8. She said she'd much rather stand out than blend in.

9. She was fluent in French.

10. She loved to read any book she could get her hands on, and was the fastest reader we'd ever seen.

11. She lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment, living off the money her family had given her as a final parting gift, was going to Ouran on scholarship, and driving herself to school in her own car.

And 12. Serin and I were convinced that she was the coolest girl at Ouran, but she would hear none of it.

When I was by myself at night, I often wondered about Kelsey's past. Maybe that was strange, but I felt confused by it all. She was smart, funny, and talented, and yet, when we'd found her, she'd seemed like the most detatched and shy person in the whole school. It was definitely one of life's numerous "Who knew?" situations. I just couldn't understand how she'd been "flying under the radar," as she put it, for so long without someone noticing her. Were people really that absorbed in their own lives, in their own problems?

Then there were the times when we'd compliment Kelsey, or call her cool. She'd blush and just try to deny it, saying she wasn't "all that special." Did she really think she was nothing, even with all the talent she so clearly had? I guess everyone has a little bit of self-loathing in them, but at what point does that become harmful? Yeah, no one's perfect, but still... Was it possible to live every day only finding fault in yourself, and never being able to see the good?

But I'm sure you don't want to read about all these "profound" things that I liked to think about before I went to bed. You want to find out how Serin convinced us, right? Well...I'll tell you, it wasn't easy.

**;;;;;**

"Serin, for the last time," I said one Wednesday afternoon at lunch, "we don't want to go!"

"But whyyyy?" Serin asked, her voice edging on whiny. "It's so much fun! And I already know who both of you should request," she said excitedly. "Kelsey, you'd be perfect for-"

"Let me stop you right there," Kelsey said through a mouthful of sandwich. She swallowed. "I've had really bad luck in the guy department in the past. Let's not get carried away with this whole Host Club thing."

Serin shook her head. "I just don't see how I haven't been able to convince you..."

"Search me," I said, shrugging. I leaned over to Kelsey. "She can convince anyone of anything."

"Mm..." Kelsey said, nodding. She shrugged as well. "Well, we're only human. We must have some sort of weaknesses that you can find."

She said it so casually, almost without thinking. Little did she know that this had already set the wheels turning in Serin's head.

As if on cue, Serin sat back, leaning against the wall behind her, thinking.

I tried not to tip Kelsey off that I was afraid, but I think she knew because she asked me if I was okay.

"Yeah, fine," I said quickly, poking at my food.

Kelsey looked at me for a moment, then returned to her book, taking a bite out of an apple from her lunch tray. This week, her book selection was a Japanese translation of the English classic, _Pride & Prejudice_.

Oh, there's another thing we knew about her: _Pride & Prejudice_ was her favorite book. She said she'd read it at least five times in the past year and a half. (Her copy looked ready to fall apart.) Consequently, we found out she was a romantic. And we're talking die-hard.

My eyes widened when I saw Serin grinning. I knew (and Kelsey already knew) that this was a very bad sign.

"Hey, Kelsey..."

"Hmm?" she asked, swallowing a bite of apple and looking up from her book.

"Y'know how I said I already know who you should request?"

She rolled her eyes. "Serin..."

"I know what you said, but don't you at least want to hear about him?"

She exhaled. "Okay, shoot." She closed her book and set it on the table next to her tray. "Lay it on me."

Serin grinned wider. "Well...he's a second-year."

Kelsey blinked at her.

"He's about six feet tall."

Still unfazed.

"He's very romantic."

Her eyes flickered a tiny bit.

"He's the king of the Host Club."

Her eyes faded again. Maybe Serin wouldn't win this fight after all...

"Oh...did I forget to mention he plays the piano?"

I saw Kelsey's jaw tighten as she looked at Serin.

"And that he's fluent in French?" Serin laughed. "What a coincidence, huh?"

Kelsey was biting her lip, staring intently off into space. She turned to fix her gaze on me. "Emi..." Her voice was a cross between pleading and fear.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, no, no! Kelsey, you have to stay strong!"

"But-!"

"No! N-O!"

"Yay, Emi can spell!" Serin said happily.

"Stop it!" I looked back at Kelsey. "There is no way we're going! There is absolutely, positively, no flippin' way we are going to become guests of the Ouran High School Host Club! No way, no how! Uh-uh! We are NOT going!"

**;;;;;**

Here's another thing to know about Kelsey: She has _the_ most convincing puppy-dog eyes in the entire world. Fear them. Fear them, I say!

"I can't believe you talked me into this..." I mumbled.

"Talked nothing!" Serin said triumphantly. "It was those puppy-dog eyes that got you."

Kelsey looked at me apologetically, adjsuting her glasses on her nose. "Sorry, Emi..."

I exhaled, annoyed with myself. "How could _anyone_ say no to _that_ face?"

Kelsey and Serin laughed.

As we walked down the hall toward Music Room 3 (a.k.a., our -or perhaps just my- doom), I continually wished for the hallway to become longer. That each of our steps would make our destination that much farther away. My prayers went unanswered, though (either that, or God just said, "Uh, no, I don't think so, Miss EmiShae."), and I found the hallway instead looking shorter and shorter.

I immediately starting wishing that my vision would go blurry and I'd pass out. When that didn't happen either, I turned to conversation.

"Serin, you never said who you paired me up with, host-wise." Not that I really cared... Okay, so I was curious. Sue me.

Serin grinned. "Oh, you'll like him," she assured. "About 5'10", black hair, glasses..."

I didn't listen to the rest of her description. Because I knew who she was talking about. The person I'd been trying to convince myself wasn't the reason I wasn't going to the Host Club.

Now I wasn't so sure that he wasn't the reason.

"How many hosts are there?" Kelsey asked.

"Seven," Serin answered. "There were six, but another one was just added this year. He's an honor student, like you. Haruhi Fujioka?"

Kelsey looked at her for a moment, then furrowed her brow in confusion. "Haruhi Fujioka?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Um...sort of. I guess it's complicated."

"Well, you must've heard of him around school," Serin said. "He's sort of infamous."

"Hmm..." Kelsey said, nodding. "Maybe I should talk to..._him_ then..."

There was something about the way she'd said "_him_" that almost made Serin and I stop in our tracks. But when Kelsey's steps didn't even falter, we continued on.

Not only did Kelsey not slow down, but she seemed to be speeding up.

I was starting to think she knew this Haruhi Fujioka better than she was letting on.

My own footsteps faltered, though, when we reached Music Room 3. I gulped. Oh, boy, I thought. Never thought I'd be standing here actually intending to go inside. I should've known Serin would find some way to make sure I made good on what I'd said about "working my way up" to the Host Club.

"So..." Kelsey said, looking at the doors and adjusting her glasses. "What exactly do we...do?"

Serin smiled. "You, my friends, don't have to do anything but smile and look pretty." She grinned at us. "You two can do that right?"

We both gave her a look, and she laughed.

"Basically, just...walk inside. The hosts will do the rest."

Sounded simple enough. So why did it seem to get more and more complicated the more I thought about it?

"Just relax, geez," Serin said, putting her hand on the door handle.

With a slightly ominous _creek_, the door swung open. When the three of us stepped inside (all of us with different looks on our faces), we were greeted by seven voices saying, "Welcome."

I was ready to turn tail and run. Really, I was. So why, instead, did I follow Serin and Kelsey farther into the music room? Mm...curiosity, perhaps?

"First-time guests! First-time guests!" a pair of red-headed twins cheered.

A short blonde giggled happily and cheered, "Yay!"

The tallest one (donning black, spiky hair), stood silently behind him, smiling a half-smile.

A brunette off to the right rolled his eyes at the twins.

The blonde seated in the middle of them all sighed, annoyed, and scolded the twins about "scaring off first-time guests." It didn't sound like the first time he'd told them about it, either.

Then my eyes landed on the seventh host. My heart skipped two beats, and I thought for a moment that it would stop altogether. He was, as Serin had described him, about 5'10", had black hair that was neatly combed and styled, and had silver wire-rimmed glassed perched on his nose. Under his arm, he held a black ledger, a pen poking from the top. He smiled politely at us, but I sensed something...off about it. Nonetheless, my stomach was still doing loop-dee-loops as I looked at him.

I tore my eyes away to see what Kelsey was doing. She clutched her book tightly to her chest, her knuckles beginning to turn white. Her eyes were fixated on the blonde in the middle. Her face was slowly changing from white to pink to red the longer she stood there.

Don't quote me on this, because I am certainly no expert, but I thought I was witnessing the beginnings of love.

Serin smirked triumphantly at our silence, then grinned at the twins. "Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru."

"Hey, Serin," they greeted in unison. They grinned right back. "So you convinced them, huh?"

"Sure did!" She smiled proudly.

"So why don't you come over here and..." "...tell us all about it?" they asked.

"Why not?" And she went off happily with the twins, leaving Kelsey and I behind in our momentary state of stupor.

The shortest and tallest drifted off as well, going back to a table of giggling guests. The brunette glanced at Kelsey, as if he were trying to figure something out, but then went back to his table, too. But the other two stayed, smiling at us.

Never had I been so afraid of boys in my entire life. Okay, wait...there was that one time when Serin and I went to Tokyo...

The blonde chuckled. "You two seem a little culture-shocked."

I knew Kelsey was as surprised as I was when she said, "Uh...well, you might say that." She dropped one arm to her side, seemingly in an attempt to relax.

How had she been able to form words around of nervousness? I don't know, but, somehow, she'd found a way.

The blonde smiled and stood from his seat, walking over to us. Or rather, to Kelsey. He gently took her hand in his, leaning in close to her.

I could practically see the sweat beading up on her forehead, and hear her heart pounding. I didn't blame her one bit.

"What is your name, dear princess?" he asked.

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, looking something like a bespectacled goldfish. Finally, she said, "Kelsey Okamoto."

The boy smiled sweetly. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He bowed low, still holding her hand. "And my name is Tamaki Suoh. It will be my pleasure to entertain you this afternoon." And then he kissed Kelsey's hand.

I thought her head was going to explode, seriously. Her face was red enough, anyway. Like a strawberry.

Now that she'd been turned into a limp noodle, Kelsey had no objections to being led over to Tamaki's table.

And -you guessed it- that left me alone with the final host.

He smiled at me. "You're EmiShae, right? Nakamura?"

I felt my eyes start to widen, and I struggled to return them to normal size. "You know my name?" I asked.

"Well, I know of your family," he said. "Our families' companies have had business dealings for several years now. But I'm forgetting my manners." He extended his hand toward me. "I'm Kyoya Ohtori."

As if I hadn't already known his name.

Wake up, stupid! I yelled at myself. Shake his hand!

I raised my hand and put it in his, shaking it. "Nice to meet you."

He smiled again. "No, the pleasure is all mine." He glanced over his shoulder, still smiling. "Seems your friend has taken a liking to Tamaki."

I swallowed, trying to repress my nervous instincts. "Well, she's a die-hard romantic, so I guess that makes sense. He seems like quite the charmer."

"I think his 70% request rate speaks for itself on that subject," Kyoya said. "He's the self-proclaimed 'king' of the Host Club."

I just nodded. Way to pick 'em, Kelsey, I thought at her.

"And what about you?"

I looked at Kyoya. "Wh-What about me?" I asked.

He smiled. "Is there a host you'd like to request?"

In my head, I was having one of those _Don't you DARE say that out loud!_ moments. But I kept that all in my head. This time.

Instead, I just shook my head. "I have no idea."

Liar, I scolded myself.

"Well, feel free to wander. There's no pressure on you to make a choice or anything. Just let us know when you've decided on one."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks." Then I scurried off to go "wander."

Why do I feel like I'm looking around a pound for a puppy to adopt? I wondered.

The short blonde one's name was Mitsukuni Haninozuka, or Honey for short. You'll never believe this. He was a _third-year_. Yeah. Older than Tamaki and Kyoya. And he had to be under five feet tall! I didn't understand it. Though I had to admit that he was pretty cute.

The tall one that never seemed to leave his side was his cousin, Takashi Morinozuka (Mori for short). He was a third-year as well. Talk about difference in looks! And, apparently, Honey was the oldest! Go figure on that one. Mori didn't talk much, just sat silently and watched the goings on. I was interested, but not moved.

The twins were a different story altogether. First of all, they were the definition of _identical_. The only difference I could see about their physical looks was the way they parted their hair. They said things in unison, finished each other's sentences... It had to be twin telepathy (not that I'd ever put much stock in that mumbo-jumbo). Oh, and did I forget to mention that their niche was "brotherly love"? Yes, _that_ kind of "love." I had no idea how Serin could sit there and put up with it _just_ to talk to them. (Or maybe it was one of them in particular, who could tell with Serin?)

Haruhi -the brunette- seemed to be fast-becoming a favorite, even though Serin had said he'd just joined about a month before. His mother had passed away when he was young, and now he took care of all the household chores for he and his dad. He seemed to be able to relate to the girls well, and seemed to understand how they felt about things. Weird was my first thought. My second was, _Gay._ But, after seeing the twins, I knew that that thought had to be wrong.

And then there was Tamaki. Serin and Kyoya had pretty much hit the nail on the head in their descriptions of him, and it was clear the moment I approached the table that Kelsey was completely taken by him. But not in the same way as the other girls, who swooned, "Oh, Tamaki!" at his every turn of phrase. Kelsey, instead, sat quitely next to him, her cheeks flushed a perpetual soft pink. She held her book in her lap, watching Tamaki, and then looking away when he looked at her.

He didn't seem to treat her exactly the same, either. With the other girls, he would pull them close, cup their faces in his hands, almost kiss them. With Kelsey, there were subtle -yet significant- differences. If he made any contact at all, it was just to brush his fingertips over the back of her hand. Whereas he made profound, flowery declarations of love to the other girls, he spoke softly and made conversation with Kelsey. It was certainly interesting to watch, especially for a people-watcher like myself.

As I observed the things that were happening around the room, I started to feel some of my nervousness and fear ebb away. Now I was curious about Serin's reasons for sitting with the twins, and about Tamaki's for treating Kelsey just a tad differently.

I was tempted to go back near Tamaki and "just happen" to mention within his earshot that Kelsey was a musician and writer, and spoke French, but I thought that might embarrass her. So I decided to let Tamaki find out the way everyone else had to -he'd have to ask her.

Haruhi stood from his table and started meandering around the room. When he got near Tamaki's, I saw Kelsey look up at him. Their eyes locked, and it looked as if, for a moment, they recognized each other.

Kelsey stood (to Tamaki's surprise), and approached Haruhi. They stared at each other for a few moments. Kelsey trailed her eyes up and down, taking Haruhi in.

Then she spoke, her voice so quiet, even I wasn't sure I'd heard her right.

"What the heck are you doing in a boy's uniform?"


	4. Um, Second Impressions?

**Omigosh, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Yay, reviews ^.^ Seriously, any kind of review makes my day, so THANK YOU! :D**

**Emi and Scree: I am indescribably happy that you're both liking the story! :D I'll try to get better about updating faster *sweatdrop* **_**Sumimasen, watashi no tomodachi!**_** There's lots more to come. Love you both! :DD ^.^**

**A'ight, here goes nothing! Let me know what you think! :)**

**-IV. Um...Second Impressions?-**

"I cannot BELIEVE you, Haruhi!"

"Kelsey, calm down. This is not worth getting upset over."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'll calm down when I feel like it! I can't believe you'd do something like this! What does your dad think of all this?"

"Like he cares. And stop acting like you're my big sister or something!"

"I might as well be!"

The guests had all gone home for the day (at the polite request of the hosts), and now Serin, the other hosts, and I were watching the ensuing arguement between Kelsey and Haruhi.

Seems they _did_ know each other. In fact, they'd gone through most of their elementary school and middle school years together. But just what they were arguing about, Serin and I weren't sure. The hosts, on the other hand, looked quite sure...and quite nervous.

"_Comment pourriez-vous même de penser à quelque chose comme cela?_" Kelsey practically yelled. She continued ranting on in (what sounded like) French.

Haurhi sighed heavily. "She always goes off in French when she gets angry..."

Tamaki looked stunned, but said nothing. Just watched Kelsey pace back and forth. I was guessing that he understood every word she said, but I couldn't tell if he was looking at her like that because of what she was saying...or because she spoke French. It was tough to tell.

This was the most animated we'd seen Kelsey yet. While we didn't know what was going on (and literally couldn't understand what Kelsey was upset about), Serin and I were just a little bit entertained.

Kelsey continued, pointing an accusatory finger at Haruhi. She stopped then, breathing heavily.

Haruhi blinked at her. "You _do_ realize that nobody understood any of that?"

"Gah!" Kelsey cried, grabbing Haruhi by the shoulders. "Why...the crap...are you dressed...like a boy?"

Serin and I looked at each other, both of us thinking something like, "Uh...because he _is_ a boy...?"

"Because, last I checked, cross-dressing was against the dress code," Kelsey said.

Serin and my jaws almost hit the floor. "Cross-dressing? !" we screeched. "What the-? !"

"Well," Hikaru said, "didn't take long for that cat to get out of the bag."

"Who knew an old friend of hers would show up and blow her secret?" Kaoru said.

"Secret? !"

Not to mention, "_Her"? !_

Kelsey looked at both of us, then said, "Serin, Emi, meet Haruhi, a _girl_ I used to go to school with."

Haruhi scoffed. "Yeah, till you ditched me."

If looks could kill, the one Kelsey was giving Haruhi would've turned her into a puddle of goo in the blink of an eye. "Who ditched who?" she said, her voice low.

"Uh-oh," the twins said. "Here comes their whole past..."

"I think not," Kyoya interrupted, pushing up his glasses. "This is neither the time nor the place." He looked at Tamaki. "Well, what should we do, Tamaki?"

Tamaki was still staring at Kelsey.

"Tamaki?"

Still staring.

Serin rolled her eyes, walked over to Tamaki, and gave him a good smack in the back of the head.

"Ow!" His hands flew up to his head.

"You're welcome," Serin said to Kyoya as she passed by. She stopped next to me, smirking proudly.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head.

Tamaki rubbed the back of his head, looking at Kyoya. "You were saying?"

Kyoya exhaled. "What should we do about this...situation?"

"There is no situation to deal with," Kelsey said. "If you expect me to go around the school telling everyone that Haruhi's a girl, don't bet on it. No one here would listen to me anyway. I'm just wondering what you've done to my friend."

"We didn't do anything," Honey said, clutching a stuffed pink rabbit to his chest. "Haru-chan came in here like that."

Like what? I wondered. A cross-dresser who joined the Host Club?

I looked at Haruhi. "What happened? How'd you become a host?"

Haruhi sighed. "Well, long story short, I broke an eight-million yen vase, and now I'm working off my debt."

Serin whistled quietly and said, "Eight million yen..."

That was definitely not a debt to sneeze at.

Kelsey blinked at Haruhi. "As a host?"

"Only way I can," Haruhi replied.

Kelsey shook her head. "I always thought you were a little strange..."

Haruhi laughed softly, then looked at her for a moment. "Past behind us?" She put her hand out.

Kelsey exhaled. "That's sorta been my motto lately." She shook Haruhi's hand, then hugged her.

So in the span of about three minutes, Serin, Kelsey, and I became fellow keepers of the Ouran Host Club's greatest secret. As Kyoya put it, we were now "liabilities."

Our reward in exchange for making sure to keep the secret? We got to hang out with the hosts as much as we wanted. And who came up with that? Let's just say that Serin could definitely be a lawyer if she wanted to. The only other stipulation was that, if we were going to be hanging around the Host Club more than regular guests, we'd have to do some helping out around the club. We didn't mind that. It would give us something to do on those boring afternoons. Besides, who really studied, anyway? Especially at Ouran.

We all went our separate ways around five o'clock, all of us headed back home.

What a day, I thought as I walked through the door to my room. Who knew our quiet friend Kelsey could be so...loud? And what did Haruhi mean about "ditching"? I guess it's not really any of my business... But that doesn't stop me from being curious about it...

I thought about the look on Tamaki's face when he'd heard Kelsey speak French, and it made me laugh. Tamaki-senpai so likes her, I thought. Already! I think she's a much more likeable person than she thinks she is. Plus...I think she likes him, too. Is that why he was treating her differently, and why she was acting differently?

I'm still not sure about Serin and the twins... The twins just confuse me in general.

And Kyoya-senpai... Geez, I don't know what to think about him. Where do I even begin? Why did I feel so nervous around him? And why did I almost pass out when he said my name? He seemed wrapped up in his own little world. And seemed so cold and...calculated.

That was what I'd been feeling earlier -about his smile. It was like he was just doing it for his own reasons, or just to be polite, not because he wanted to.

How can he call himself a host? I wondered. But I'm not one to talk. I've just been introduced to this new world of the Ouran Host Club. I can't be judging its members. Yet.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"But did you _hear_ her, Kyoya?" Tamaki smiled widely. "Have you ever heard such a beautiful voice?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his nose as he and his best friend walked out of the school building. "You _do_ realize that that voice you're calling beautiful was being used to yell at your 'little Haruhi' for dressing as a boy?"

"I knew that Kelsey was smart! She disapproves as well!"

Kyoya sighed, knowing that Tamaki was only hearing what he wanted to hear. "What was she saying, anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh, just something about being disappointed, and wondering why things had changed... Something about abandonment...?" Tamaki shrugged. "I don't know."

"So I take it you weren't listening very closely."

"Do you think she'd speak it for me again if I asked her?" Tamaki asked excitedly, a puppy tail practically wagging behind him.

"Just like you aren't now..." Kyoya muttered.

Tamaki turned his gaze to grin at his friend. "I couldn't help but notice, but you were watching that girl EmiShae quite a lot today..."

Kyoya sighed.

"Could it be because you wanted her to request you as her favorite host...?"

Kyoya lifted his ledger and whacked Tamaki over the head with it. "Quit being an idiot."

Tamaki just laughed as he rubbed his head. "Hey, I'm only saying what I saw, you know..."

"Maybe you should have your eyes checked." Kyoya quickly descended into the main courtyard, passing by a fountain to the car that was waiting for him.

Tamaki looked at his friend for a moment, then did the same, getting in a car right behind Kyoya's.

As soon as the car had pulled away from the school, Kyoya removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He sighed again.

Calm down, Kyoya, he told himself. Like you're going to listen what that moron says. Even though he is your best friend, and he's got pretty good eyesight...

He tried to tell himself what he always did -that he had just made conversation with her because of her family. That he'd only wanted to talk to her more to find out what connections her family had to other companies.

That he hadn't been taken in by her wide, blue-grey eyes. That he hadn't smiled because he liked her curly, strawberry blonde hair. That he hadn't thought her nervousness and confusion were somewhat cute.

That she was just another Host Club guest. No one special.

It was easier thought than done.

Meanwhile, Tamaki had thoughts of his own swirling through his mind. But they centered on a different girl altogether.

He was thinking about the shy, soft-spoken girl with the romance novel in her hands. The silky brown hair with strands of sunlight shimmering through it. The bright blue-green eyes that burned with a fire one doesn't often see -eyes that had seen things that could never be unseen, and were determined to overcome them. The light flush on her cheeks that appeared when he'd spoken, and the shy smile she'd given him. The way her lips formed the words of his native language, and the passion in her voice that showed how much she cared.

The unpredictable things she did that showed she wasn't as shy as she seemed.

What is it about her, he wondered, that makes me want to treat her differently? Every time I looked at her, it was like I'd lost all my words. And every time she spoke, her words reached my ears as if every single syllable was of infinite importance.

And why, every time she started speaking, did I just want to interrupt her and...kiss her?

Tamaki shook his head violently, his blonde bangs falling in his eyes. The first day, and you're already letting your imagination run away with you, he thought.

But then what else is new?

**;;;;;**

Kelsey lay on her bed that night, replaying the day's events. She looked up and out the window above her bed, looking at the stars twinkling in the distance.

I never thought I'd run into Haruhi again, she thought. That was a bolt out of the blue. A blast from the past. I'd think of more clichés if I wasn't so tired. But I wasn't lying when I said I've been wanting to put the past behind me. If only they knew...they'd understand why.

But I can't lay all that one them. It's not fair to them.

She looked out the window again, her thoughts turning to the host she'd sat with that day.

The handsome prince who'd kissed her hand and called her princess. The young man who hadn't made any long-winded declarations of love to her, and hadn't tried to kiss her, but had instead really talked with her, and maybe touched her hand a couple times.

The one who had stared at her -almost in awe- when she'd spoken French.

She picked up her copy of _Pride & Prejudice_, flipping through the worn pages until she found the spot she was looking for.

_"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."_

_Elizabeth's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement; and the avowal of all that he felt, and had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well; but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority— of its being a degradation— of the family obstacles which judgement had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit._

_In spite of her deeply-rooted dislike, she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man's affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an instant, she was at first sorry for the pain he was to receive; till, roused to resentment by his subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger._

Kelsey flipped more pages, then continued reading. She'd read the book enough times to know the in-betweens.

_"He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far, we are equal."_

Kelsey closed the book. Stop it, she told herself. Geez, you just met the guy! Besides, this isn't a romance novel. Or a movie, or a story. This is real life. He's not Darcy.

Her eyes trailed from the ceiling down to her arm. She tugged her long sleeve down over it, hiding the ugly past still written there. She turned over and switched off her lamp, then closed her eyes. She had one final thought before she drifted off to sleep.

_And I'm not Elizabeth Bennet._

**I have to credit **_**Pride & Prejudice**_** by Jane Austen, because I don't own those amazing words she wrote. Nope, not at all. Anywhoo, what d'ya think? Leave me a little message, if you would! Thanks for reading! More soon! ^.^**


	5. Square One

**Kind of a shorter chapter :\ **_**Sumimasen!**_** I'll update again very soon :)**

**Thank you to everyone who's reading and reviewing! Including (but not limited to) EmiShae and Scree (of course!), schnook, and Shadow Mistress-of death! Thank you, thank you! :D**

**Alright, Emi and Serin, let's get on with the story, shall we? I'm so glad that you're both liking it so much! It makes me so happy ^.^ Enjoy chapter 5!**

**-V. Square One-**

The next day, there was no begging from Serin to get us to go to the Host Club. We hardly even talked about it the whole day. Only when our classes were over and we were walking towards Music Room 3 did once of us approach the subject.

"What do you think Kyoya-senpai meant by helping out around the club?" Kelsey asked.

I cursed myself for letting a shiver run up my spine at the mention of his name. "I dunno," I said, pushing the shiver from my mind.

"It'll probably be something like helping with the refreshments and such," Serin said. "That gives the hosts more time for entertaining guests, anyway."

We nodded.

Kelsey looked out the big windows to our left as we walked down the hall. She kept tugging down on her dress sleeves, gripping the ends of her sleeves in her hands.

"Kelsey?"

She looked at me.

"Are you feeling alright?"

She smiled. "I'm fine. Really. Why wouldn't I be?"

Maybe because she'd gone into a tirade the day before about Haruhi cross-dressing and something about the two of them ditching each other.

And now we're bound to the Host Club just like Haruhi, I thought. Well, as Serin would say, we'll just have to make the best of it.

Kelsey chuckled. "I was just thinking..."

Serin and I looked at her.

"I wonder how Haruhi made it through the physical exams."

We looked at each other and just started laughing, talking about scenarios that the hosts could've gone through to keep the other students from finding out that Haruhi was really a girl.

"That must've been something, alright," Serin said, shaking her head.

"No joke," I said. "Wait... Didn't one of the girls in our class say something about Tamaki-senpai cosplaying as Haruhi?"

"_That's_ what that was!" Serin said in realization.

That set us off on another laughing fit.

Maybe this won't be so bad after all, I thought as the music room came into view. It might even be...fun.

The day before, the hosts had asked us to come a little earlier to go over some "ground rules." So that's what we were doing.

It was a little strange, seeing the music room empty. I mean, I'd only been there once, but I'd already come to know it as a loud, somewhat crowded place. Sort of like a café around lunchtime.

"Ah, there they are," Kyoya said.

At least he didn't say, "Speak of the devils," I thought. Though, coming from him, I don't know which I'd really prefer.

"Hey, guys," Serin said. She was already so relaxed around them, while Kelsey and I were still a little wary.

"Hey, Serin," the twins replied.

Kelsey and Haruhi looked at each other for a few moments before exchanging small smiles. Seems they'd gotten over whatever they had been upset with each other about already.

Then Tamaki bounded over. "Hi, Kelsey!" he said happily.

She blushed and smiled. "Hi, Tamaki-senpai."

Kyoya nodded at me, glancing up from his ledger briefly. "EmiShae, good to see you again."

I sighed in my head. "Yeah, you, too," I replied. I edged my way over to Serin, feeling just a little nervous (still) about all these people that I'd just been acquainted with.

I tried to listen to Serin talking to Hikaru and Kaoru in hopes that I would get some clues as to why she liked them so much, but I continually found my thoughts and my eyes shifting back to Kyoya.

The heck is wrong with you? I asked myself. Didn't you decide last night that he was cold and calculated? Not worth getting excited over?

I have a feeling Kelsey would tell me to give him the benefit of the doubt. At this point, I'm not feeling inclined to do so. But...maybe I'll change my mind...or something.

"Alright, everyone," Kyoya said. "Listen up. It's time to instruct our newest members on our procedure here."

Serin, Kelsey, and I looked at him. "Members?" we asked in shock.

"It's merely a figure of speech," he said, trying to assure us.

"No," I said, "a figure of speech is like 'Shoot the moon' or 'Break a leg-'"

"Or 'Drop dead.'"

I gave him a look.

He pretended not to notice.

I was only half-paying attention as Kyoya explained the rules and procedures of the Host Club. What's his deal? I wondered. Our first day "on the job," and already things are going haywire. Well, maybe not "haywire," but not in the best direction.

Anyway, Serin had been right about our duties at the Host Club -we were to refill teapots, do some dishes here and there, things like that. Really, it wasn't so bad. And, speaking for myself, it gave me a distraction from a certain note-taking, bespectacled host.

"You want me to go curse him out in French?" Kelsey asked when we were going to get more tea.

"You can do that?" I asked.

Serin smacked me in the back of the head. "Duh, she's fluent! Plus she's _joking_. You know she doesn't swear."

"Riiigghttt." I smiled a cheesy grin at Serin, who rolled her eyes and threatened to smack me again.

"I just can't believe he said that," Serin muttered.

"Well, maybe he just meant that that was another figure of speech, not that EmiShae should really drop dead."

See? Kelsey liked giving people the benefit of the doubt. I only wish I had her optimism and peace of mind.

"At any rate," I said, filling up a pink flowered tea pot, "I don't care. So what if he's not all that fond of me? It was his idea to keep us at the Host Club as helpers in exchange for keeping Haruhi's secret, so he only has himself to blame if I annoy him."

"Or remind him why blondes get such a bad rep..." Serin said.

Kelsey laughed and I shot Serin a look. "I'm not _that_ blonde!"

Serin raised an eyebrow at me.

I continued glaring at her, and poked her in the arm. Then, just for good measure, I poked Kelsey for laughing.

"Oh, no you didn't," Serin said.

"Oh, yes, I did," I said, grinning.

Kelsey (who had been laughing still) stepped in between us. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to get into a poke fight right now..."

Serin and I looked at each other, both of us thinking something along the lines of, "After Host Club. You. Me. Outside."

Serin sighed and started filling up the teapot she'd been carrying. "I hate tea..." she muttered.

"Come on," I said, rolling my eyes. "You just have to carry it! You don't have to drink it!"

"Still, the smell..." She stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Let's just get through this, and then you can go home and drink your special imported tea from America."

"Don't mock me, EmiShae!"

"You're the one that buys tea all the way from...where is it, Texas? That is totally mock-worthy!"

"It is NOT from Texas!" she shot back. "...I don't think."

Kelsey put her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. This only succeeded in making all three of us burst out laughing.

We got the tea (but not without a couple more complaints on Serin's part...) and went back to our respective tables to deliver the teapots.

I glanced over at Kyoya and his guests. What do they see in him? I wondered. Sure, he's handsome and rich and all that, but they're pretty and rich. He doesn't really seem like the type to make a girl swoon.

That thought made me look at Tamaki. Or rather at Kelsey over by Tamaki.

She set the teapot down on the table, smiling shyly.

Tamaki smiled back and thanked her, inviting her to sit with them.

She thanked him, and politely said that she really shouldn't. Then she bowed and scurried over to my side, her face flushed.

"Is that so?" I asked, as if she'd spoken to me.

She sighed. "What is _wrong_ with me?" she whispered.

"Uh...maybe you like him?" Serin said quietly as she walked by.

I laughed a little as Kelsey's face turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about," I assured her.

She blew her bangs out of her eyes. "It's only day two..."

"Technically, it's square one."

"Would you cut it out, Serin?"

Serin grinned and walked away again.

"Hey, I got something to take both our minds off our problems."

"Hmm?" Kelsey asked, tilting her head to the side in question.

I looked over her shoulder at Serin talking to the twins. "Let's see if we can figure out Serin's reasons for hanging around the twins. There's no _way_ she likes their whole brotherly-love bit."

"Oh..." Kelsey said, nodding. "I could tell you."

I blinked at her. "You wha?"

She laughed softly. "I see and hear a lot more than people think. I've already noticed that Serin talks more to Kaoru than she does to Hikaru-"

"You can tell them apart? ! Whoa!"

My Serin senses started tingling, and I sensed she was going to whack me for being blonde again, so I lowered my voice.

"So what do you think?"

Kelsey shrugged. "I think she likes Kaoru, but she's acting cool and not letting on that she does. That's my theory."

"Wow..." I said. "Sounds like Serin to me."

It was also like Serin to have things all figured out except for things involving herself. I was getting the vibe that Kelsey was a little bit that way, too. Then again, I guess that could be said for most people in this world. Maybe Kelsey just knew because of all the books she'd read. She could see the "signs," so to speak.

Except for the signs she and Tamaki were _so_ clearly sending each other. But that's Kelsey for you.

**;;;;;**

When the club activites were over for the day, the three of us had to stay later with the hosts to discuss some things.

Coming early and staying late. Guess that's what it took to be a member of the Host Club.

Apparently, the hosts were going to be cosplaying the next day. Accoring to Serin, this was common practice.

Unfortunately for us, now that we were "members" of the Host Club, that meant _we_ were going to have to cosplay, too. Joy. But at least they were starting us out with something simple -kimonos. Not that I considered that cosplaying, but I guess the hosts did.

So the twins spent about a half-hour on the three of us, fitting us with kimonos their mother had designed and had allowed the Host Club to borrow.

Kelsey seemed to be okay with it, and Serin actually seemed somewhat excited. So was I the only one wondering what had compelled the hosts to dress up in kimonos?

So maybe I was.

It was funny to watch Tamaki looking at Kelsey, as it always was. (It seemed to be fast-becoming a habit of mine.) It was so clear that he was drawn to her, and yet he said nothing. He was a host! Surely he was confident enough to-

I kept myself from gasping out loud. OHHH! I thought. They're _hosts_! Of course they can't date! Geez, could you be any more blonde, EmiShae?

As if on cue, Serin leaned over and smacked me.

"Hey! What was that for? I didn't say anything."

Serin shrugged. "Dunno. Just...sensed that you were having a blonde moment..."

And that's Seirn for you.

After the twins were _finally_ satisfied with their choices for our kimonos, we were allowed to go home.

"At last, home," I said as the three of us walked down the hallway. "That was harder work than I thought it was going to be."

"Only because the hosts weren't helping out and there's only three of us," Serin said. "And look on the brightside -we get to do it every day again for the foreseeable future!"

Kelsey and I both gave Serin looks. She just loved raining on everyone's parade.

I got this, I thought.

"Soooo...Serin?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Kelsey and I were talking earlier, and it seems like you were talking to Kaoru a lot..."

She smacked me.

"Ow!"

"There's no way you can tell the twins apart yet, Emi," Serin accused. "So it must have been Kelsey's observation."

"Okay, yeah, maybe," I said, rubbing my head. You'd think that after a year and a half of being friends with Serin, I would've built up an immunity to her abuse. No such luck.

Kelsey shrugged, looking at Serin apologetically. "I was just sharing my observations with Emi. Sorry."

Serin smiled. "Hey, I'm not mad! I just like hitting Emi."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I feel so loved," I said dryly.

Serin laughed. "Anyway, your observations were right on," she said. "I do like talking to Kaoru."

My eyes lit up. Victory was in sight! "Does that mean you liiikkkke him?" I asked.

Serin blinked at me. "What?"

I laughed. "I knew it!"

Serin shook her head violently. "What the-? No, I do _not_! Not like that! Where'd you get that?"

Kelsey remained quiet, smiling to herself. She knew. She knew because she was just smart like that.

"You're swimming in Denial River," I sang.

"Oh, so if I asked you if you liked Kyoya-senpai, you'd own up to it?" she shot back.

"No need," I said, "because, if I said something to that effect, I'd be lying."

Kelsey and Serin blinked at me. "Really?" they asked in unison.

I shrugged. "We've only known them for two days. I mean, Kelsey and I have. I haven't fully decided on what I think of _all_ the hosts yet."

They accepted that answer, and we continued on out of the building.

You are such a liar, I told myself. You already decided that you don't like him. Well, maybe a little of Kelsey and a little of Serin will rub off on me, and my mind will change.

Or maybe I'll just swear right now to loathe him for all eternity and call it a day. Yeah...good plan.


	6. Does This Happen Often?

**Wow, thank you everyone! I'm so glad you're all liking the story! ^.^ It makes me so happy to know that people are entertained by this madness, and are liking the OCs :)**

**Anywhoo, Emi, Serin, let's get this show on the road! I think I mentioned it to you, Emi, but there's a new character in this story! So let me know what you think!**

**Thanks again, everyone! ^.^**

**-VI. Does This Happen Often?-**

The moment we arrived at Music Room 3, the twins shoved our kimonos into our hands and pushed us over to the changing room. Then Serin had to practically kill them, but they finally left us alone to change.

Serin was pulling my hair up into a bun and putting chopsticks in the bun when Kelsey came out in her kimono. She had her arms down at her sides, holding the sleeves against her palms with her fingers. She looked nervous about something.

"You alright, Kelsey?" I asked.

"Hmm?" She walked over. "Oh, yeah, fine."

"Are you worried about the kimono?" Serin asked, her voice slightly muffled by the chopstick in her mouth.

"Uh, well...uh..."

"Don't be. It looks great on you," Serin assured.

"Totally," I said. "Purple is definiely your color."

She seemed to relax a little, and smiled. "Thanks. You two look great, too. Love the green and the blue." (Serin's was green, mine was blue.)

"Thanks," we said together.

Kelsey quickly tied up her hair in a purple hair ribbon, and we went back out to the main room, where the hosts were all waiting in their "cosplay."

Kelsey took one look at Haruhi and sighed. "You made us matching?"

They were both wearing purple kimonos, and had ribbons in their hair.

"WHAT?" Tamaki screeched, turning on the twins. "Why did you make the two of _them_ matching?"

"Relax, boss," Hikaru said.

"It just so happened that the only two brunettes look good in purple," Kaoru said.

Something told me that this was something that happened a lot around the Host Club.

**;;;;;**

Kelsey's and Haruhi's matching kimonos didn't escape the notice of the guests, either. It seemed that neither Kelsey nor Haruhi was too happy with the twins and their style choices. But it was only for one day. I supposed they'd live through it.

And I supposed that I would as well. But it wasn't just the kimono. Going from a non-popular girl to a "member" of the Host Club literally overnight was a total trip. That went for Serin and Kelsey, too. The guests kept eyeing us, probably wondering who we were, how we'd come to be "helpers" in the Club, and where they could go to sign up.

Sorry, girls, I thought at them, but you've gotta figure out Haruhi's gender first! Then you can join the Club! ...Either that, or one of the hosts' private police forces will make you "disappear"...

The three of us found out about a Host Club "extracurricular activity" that day: The sale of promotional items. And poor-quality ones, at that. Hey, Kyoya himself even said they were!

"If it wasn't for Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi said quietly, "I'm sure the Host Club would spiral into bankruptcy."

"Mm," I said, nodding.

I glanced over at Kelsey, who was trying to inconspicuously watch Tamaki.

"Why are your eyes filled with tears every time you look at me?"

Tamaki did, in fact, look rather teary-eyed. He brushed his bangs out of his face. "Because the sight of your beautiful smile...causes the fountain inside me to start overflowing..."

Kelsey blushed slightly, averting her eyes. Then she saw me watching her and scurried away.

I laughed softly. She'd been getting a little better about acting somewhat "normal" around Tamaki, but she wasn't quite there yet.

I looked up when Honey starting crying because he'd lost his sandals. Then the twins started going on about something I didn't even want to know about concerning the taking-off of their kimonos.

Tears are certainly popular today, I thought.

"Tears are certainly popular today," Serin said, walking up behind me.

"Have you noticed that there's a lot of crying going on today?" Kelsey asked, walking up as well.

I jumped, pointing at the two of them. "Whoa! Telepathy!"

Serin raised an eyebrow at me. Kelsey did the same, then tilted her head to the side in question.

"I...mean...uh..." I cleared my throat. "Oh, you don't say?"

Serin shook her head and started to walk away. "I just don't get how they're able to cry so easily..." She wasn't looking where she was going, and accidentally bumped into Kaoru.

Kaoru started, and looked down when something fell from his sleeve.

Serin dove for it, holding up to look at it. She glared at Kaoru. "What's this?"

Kelsey and I went over to see as well.

Kelsey gasped. "Eye dr-!"

She was cut off when Hikaru put a hand over her mouth. Hikaru grinned. "Oh, come on, it's common practice for hosts to use eye drops."

"No woman alive can resist a man on the brink of tears," Kaoru said.

"But that's cheating," I said.

"You're jipping your guests-!"

Serin's protest was also cut short, but this time by Kaoru.

Not wanting to risk getting grabbed by one of the twins, I took a step back before posing a question. "Why would you want to trick these girls?"

"It's not a trick," they said in unison. "It's our job as members of the Ouran Host Club to make every girl happy. There's no rules against eye drops, so why not use them?" They released Kelsey and Serin, grinning.

Kelsey wiped off her mouth with the back of her hand, rolling her eyes at Hikaru.

Serin, oddly enough, looked a little sad at being let go. Go figure.

Kaoru reached into his sleeve, putting a box in Serin's hands. "Here, Serin. This is for you."

Serin's cheeks flushed slightly. "Huh? This is for me?"

"Aren't you the cutest?" the twins said together.

"I thought you didn't like sweets," Kelsey said.

"Heck no!" she said happily. "Yay sugar!"

"How adorable!" Tamaki cried, sweeping over to us, tears still in his eyes.

"Let me guess. The tears are fake."

I almost burst out laughing. Seems Kelsey had gotten down off Cloud 9 pretty easily after all.

Tamaki gasped, offended. "How could you? My tears are always genuine! It is the mark of a true host to be able to cry without the use of eye drops."

Kelsey just continued to look at him. "Mm-hmm..." She may have been a romantic (and one of the many young women able to be moved by a man on the brink of tears), but she was still able to spot a fake a mile away.

"Tell me," Tamaki said, smiling, "do I impress you? Have you fallen for me yet?"

She shook her head (though I could tell she was blushing, too). The look on her face read something like, _Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous._

Then I heard quiet footsteps, and turned to look. Serin, Kelsey, and the hosts stopped and followed my gaze.

Standing just around the corner of the entrance to another part of the room was a girl in an Ouran High uniform. She had long, light brown hair, and looked somewhat afraid. Or maybe she was just nervous. It was difficult to tell.

"Looks like the Host Club has another brand-new guest," Hikaru said.

"That'll be the third this week," Kaoru said, he and his brother smirking at Kelsey and I.

The twins walked over to the new girl, holding out roses to her.

"Come on in," Kaoru said. "What are you waiting for?"

"Watching from afar is no fun," Hikaru chimed in.

"Please, miss," they said together.

The girl whimpered quietly, leaning away.

Tamaki stepped closer. "Stop that," he said. "How many times do I have to tell you to be more courteous to our first time guests?"

Seemed the twins had run off many first-time guests in the past. Didn't really surprise me, but still...

Tamaki turned and smiled at the girl, holding his hand out to her. "Please, there's no need to be afraid, my princess," he assured her. He leaned closer, trying to put his hand under the girl's chin. "I welcome you to the Ouran Host Club."

She shied away, and it looked like she was going to say something.

"Yes?" Tamaki asked quietly.

Suddenly, the girl raised her hand and smacked Tamaki across the face. "No!" she cried. "Don't touch me! You're phony!"

Tamaki stumbled back towards the rest of us -all ten of us with the same expression on our faces. _What the...?_

"Phony? !" Tamaki asked incredulously.

"Just what I said!" the girl shot back, pointing a finger at Tamaki. "You're phony! I find it hard to believe that someone like you is the prince character of this host club!" She then began flinging insults at him, and Tamaki flinched as though she were slicing him with a knife. I believe some of them included, "stupid," "narcissicst," "incompetent," "commoner," "dim-witted," and "disgusting."

Honestly, I half-expected Kelsey to start clapping. She even gave me this look like she knew I knew what she was thinking. That's Kelsey for you.

As Tamaki collapsed under the weight of the girl's insults, Kyoya put his hand under his chin, looking at the girl. Realization spread across his face. "I don't suppose...you are...?"

The girl gasped, and looked as if she might cry. "It's you!" she shouted. "Kyoya!" She jumped on Tamaki as she ran to Kyoya just for good measure, then flung herself at Kyoya, wrapping her arms around him.

"Oh, how I longed to meet you! My one and only Prince Charming!"

I don't think anyone's mouth was open wider than mine. Partially becaue Tamaki had actually collapsed to the floor, but mostly because this girl actually _liked_ Kyoya and thought he was a _Prince Charming_?

Obviously, this girl was dumber than she looked.

**;;;;;**

"What?" Hikaru asked, surprised. "Your fiancé?"

"Kyoya-senpai?" Kaoru chimed in.

"Of course!" the girl said, now much more chipper. "My name is Renge Hoshakuji, and I'll be transferring into Ouran's class 1-A tomorrow!"

All the guests had gone home, and we were all out of our kimonos now. Renge sat on one couch, and we all stood across from her.

I saw Kelsey look away, and Serin and I followed her gaze.

Tamaki was sitting up against the nearest wall, his knees pulled up to his chest, sulking.

Something told me this was common practice as well.

"Why is he sulking?" Hikaru asked.

"Because Mommy was keeping a secret from Daddy," Kaoru said, chuckling

Serin laughed with him, but Kelsey and I looked at each other, mouthing, _Mommy and Daddy?_

"Whatever," Kyoya said, rolling his eyes. "Why does everyone insist on referring to us like we're husband and wife?"

I wanted to say, "Maybe because you'll never find a real girlfriend," but I opted to keep my mouth shut. Serin probably would've smacked me for saying it anyway.

Though Serin smacked me anyway, so I guess I could've said it. I swear that girl is psychic.

Renge then jumped in and started off on a ramble about hers and Kyoya's love being "love at first sight!" I tuned most of it out. It just made me sick. But then I started to hear some things that didn't quite match up...

"I couldn't resist the way you were adoring those flowers in the backyard when you thought no one was looking!"

I think Kyoya would rather burn flowers, I thought.

"And how sweet it was when you reached out to that poor, little injured kitten!"

And perhaps...well, I actually don't know anyone who'd be cold-hearted enough to ignore a kitten -injured or not-, but I'm sure Kyoya-senpai is that person.

"She serious?" the twins asked.

"Could you have him confused with someone else?" I asked, half-under my breath.

"No way!" Renge snapped. "I'd know my love anywhere!" She then went on to say such things as the fact that Kyoya was a "gentleman" and "kind-hearted toward everyone!"

Ick, gag me, I thought.

Even the twins were sharing in my pain of having to listen to it. They ran around saying, "Who is she talking about? ! AH! Make her stop!"

Maybe the twins weren't so bad after all.

"He looks like the star of the popular dating sim _Uki Doki Memorial_!"

We all stared at Renge as she spun to point at Kyoya.

"You're my real-life Ichijo Miyabi!"

We contined staring.

"Uki?" Kelsey and Haruhi asked.

"Doki?" Serin and Honey asked.

"Otaku!" Tamaki yelled, breaking from his "corner of woe."

"Otaku? !" Hikaru asked incredulously.

Mori looked especially confused -an expression we hadn't yet seen on his face. "Hmm?" was all he said.

"I've never seen one!" Kaoru shouted in fear.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "Ah, now I understand..."

Renge, meanwhile, was flitting all about the room in a fangirl tornado.

"You're in love with that character. You're projecting that love onto me and you've somehow deluded yourself into thinking that we're engaged."

Only a deluded person could delude themselves of that! I thought. Why's she picking on you -of all people?

"I assume this Miyabi character probably wears glasses as well..."

"So...she made the whole thing up?" Kelsey asked.

"She's not _really_ your fianceé, right?" Tamaki asked.

"Well, no," Kyoya said, "I don't ever remember asking for her hand in marriage... Besides, this is the first time I've ever met the woman!"

Could've said something sooner... I thought, annoyed.

Renge let out a squeal and hopped over to the couch to sit next to Kyoya. "According to my research, I understand you're the manager of the Host Club, Kyoya!"

Great, she's a stalker, too, I thought dryly.

"That's right!" Honey said. "Kyo-chan is our director!"

"Director?" Renge squealed again. "That's perfect! Oh, wow! I've always wanted to wear a sandwich board to advertise a business!"

"We don't advertise," the twins said. "We're just a host club."

"I made up my mind!" Renge said, ignoring them. She held up her pointer finger decidedly.

"Hey..." Tamaki whined. "That's my pose..."

"From now on, I'm gonna be the manager of this Host Club!"

"She's not listening..." I muttered.

"What's your deal?" Serin asked. "You've been sitting over here pouting since Renge walked in the room."

"Have not!" I snapped, a little _too_ defensively.

Kelsey pushed up her glasses. "Pardon me for saying so, but you do seem a little gloomy, Emi."

I "hmph"-ed, crossing my arms over my chest. "So why aren't you asking Tamaki-senpai why he's moping?"

"Because it's obvious why _he's_ moping," Kelsey replied. "I mean, today it is. Any other day, it's anyone's guess. Besides, he's a crybaby anyway."

"Crybaby...?" Tamaki scooted back over to his corner.

"See?"

Serin grinned at me. "So you _do_ admit you're moping?"

"I am not!"

She smacked me. "Fess up, EmiShae. What's your damage?"

"Nothing!" I insisted. "She's just annoying me... I mean, of all the hosts the make-believe she was engaged to, why'd she pick him? He's just so...so... UGH! I can't even think of a good enough word!"

"Enabler?" Kelsey asked. "Materialist? Money-grubber? Avaricious? Frigid? Unwelcoming? Counterfeit? Artificial?"

Serin and I just blinked at her.

She blinked back. "What? I write a lot. My thesaurus is practically my best friend."

Again, that's Kelsey for you.

"Um, listen, Kyoya..." Tamaki said to Kyoya nervously.

"Miss Hoshakuji is the only daughter of a very important Ohtori family client. So please be polite and try not to offend her, alright?"

Tamaki hung his head, dejected.

"Mind loaning me one of those words, Kelsey?" I asked.

"Um... Acquisitive?"

"Thank you."

"Well, boys and girls," Renge said, "I can't wait to start working with you!"

I was starting to get the feeling more often than not lately that lots of things the ordinary person might find strange were in fact commonplace in the Host Club. Like, for example, the random birth of a lady manager.

Well, she can't be all bad, I thought, trying to console myself. Except for the fact that she likes Kyoya solely because he looks like a guy from some video game. How ridiculous.

**;;;;;**

"Y'know what I think?" Serin asked as we walked out of the building that day.

"What's that?" Kelsey asked.

Serin grinned at me again. "I think someone's jealous...!"

I knew my face had turned red. "What? No way! What do _I_ have to be jealous about?"

"Well, for one thing, Kyoya-senpai's treating her much nicer than any of us," Kelsey said.

"Mm-hmm," Serin said, nodding. "And he made sure to tell us not to offend her."

"Correction, he told Tamaki-senpai not to offend her," I said.

"My point is that he doesn't care if he offends us!"

"Well, he offends me _constantly._"

"So just because a guy says 'Drop dead,' you're gonna totally write him off?"

"Uh, yeah!" I said, laughing once. "I'd say that's just cause for writing someone off. Especially a guy like him!"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Kelsey said, stepping in between the two of us. "Serin, I think we've established that Emi is _not_ jealous of Renge and Kyoya-senpai."

"Thank you," I said to her.

She looked at me, a hint of worry in her eyes. "But are you okay? You seemed really worked-up back there."

I shook my head. "I'm fine, really! She was just annoying, that's all."

"Well, we all hear you on that one," Serin said, rolling her eyes. "Having her as our manager is going to be a royal pain in the butt."

**;;;;;**

"You know, I think having a lady manager might not be such a bad thing."

I was again reminded that looks really couldn't kill when Tamaki wasn't reduced to dust by Serin's dirty look.

"Why's that, boss?" the twins asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Tamaki asked. "Renge just transferred into the same class as Haruhi and the girls."

As if Haruhi _wasn't_ a girl, or as if we all didn't know full well that that's just what she was.

"Another girl friend around will bring out the true females within them! Renge's girlish air of tenderness might be able to stimulate Haruhi's own sense of femininity! And it can't hurt our other girls either. Now is our chance to help them get in touch with their feminine sides!"

Haruhi: "Good grief..."

Me: "Don't bet on it."

Serin: "You know we can hear you, right?"

Kelsey: "So you're saying we're unfeminine? Shall I sick my flying monkeys on you to teach you a lesson?"

See? I told you Kelsey was random.

"This is an important project, men," Tamaki continued, as if we hadn't spoken (heck, as if we weren't even there). "They have no friends in class right now except for these two shady twins. That's no good for them."

The twins gave him a look and said, "Like you have room to talk."

Excellent point, I thought.

We looked up when the doors to the room opened.

"Hey, everyone!"

Oh, she's back, I thought. Kill me now!

"You'll be happy to know that your new manager Renge has baked cookies for you all!"

Tamaki had suddenly moved across the room to stand at her side. "Oh! Isn't she ladylike? I'm so moved by your generosity!"

"I didn't bake these cookies for you, you phony prince."

Tamaki gasped, and retreated back to his corner.

Kelsey sighed and stood from her seat.

"Where're you going?" I asked.

"I'm sure Renge'll leave soon," Serin said.

"Oh, it's nothing like that," Kelsey said, shaking her head and smiling a little. "I just..." She glanced over her shoulder at Tamaki. "I'll...be right back." And she walked away.

Serin and I shrugged at each other, and went back to the conversation at hand.

Renge had been apologizing to Kyoya about burning the cookies "a little." She sighed dreamily. "But I know what you'll say! 'Anything you make for me is going to be delicious, of course!'"

Must be dialogue from the game, I thought.

Renge swooned. "Oh! You're always so sweet to me, Kyoya!"

Behind her, Honey was trying to bite into a cookie, but was having a little trouble. "She wasn't kidding!" he said. "These things really are burnt!"

Mori ran up behind him. "Don't eat that Mitsukuni! It's bad for you!"

Renge spun and glared at them, then began chasing them around the room, screaming at them that they were ungrateful, and to take their comments back.

It was all Serin and I could do not to burst out laughing at the sight.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"Did anyone ever tell you that you can be a real drama king?"

Tamaki glanced up to see Kelsey standing next to him, one hand on her hip. When he didn't reply, Kelsey exhaled and knelt down next to him.

"Why do you overreact like that?" she asked, honestly curious. "Why do you let it get to you so much?"

Tamaki looked back at the wall. "I dunno," he said in a small voice. "Guess I've always been like that."

Kelsey looked at him for another moment, then sat down next to him, her back against the wall. "Y'know...I used to let comments like that get to me, too."

Tamaki shifted his gaze to her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. 'Phony,' 'stupid,' a million other things... Then I realized that showing a reaction like sulking or crying just made them think that I believed them." She shook her head. "And, even if I did, I didn't want them to have the satisfaction of seeing it get to me."

Tamaki continued blinking at her.

She looked at him and smiled a little. "So...I guess I just came over here to tell you to...cheer up. No one likes a moper, you know." And she stood, walking back to Serin and Emi.

Tamaki looked after her, noticing that she was tugging down on her sleeves again.

Seems like she does that a lot, he thought. But why?

He thought for another moment about what she'd said.

_"No one likes a moper..."_

**3_3_3_3_3**

Kelsey walked back over a few minutes later, smiling.

Serin and I looked over at Tamaki, who was watching her.

"What happened?" Serin asked.

"What?" Kelsey asked, as if she hadn't heard us.

We smiled.

"Someone's in a daydream..." I said in a singsong voice.

Kelsey blushed. "N-No, I'm not," she stuttered. "I just, uh-"

"What'd you go over there for?" I asked.

"T-To try and cheer Tamaki-senpai up. W-What's wrong with th-that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Serin said cooly. She smiled at Kelsey. "Just trying to spread the sunshine, huh?"

Kelsey laughed softly. "I... Yeah, I guess you might say that."

She looked up and saw Renge still chasing Honey and Mori around the room.

"Um, what-?"

"Don't ask," we said together.

She nodded, taking our word for it.

Serin looked over at the package of cookies Renge had brought in, then picked it up, bravely putting her hand in to take one out.

Kelsey looked at Serin for a moment, shrugged, then went to join her.

I just stared at them in shock. They had to be the bravest people I'd ever met, if they were going to try _Renge's_ cookies.

"They're not all that bad," Serin said, muching on a bite.

"Yeah," Kelsey agreed. "They've got a good flavor to 'em."

I started getting nervous again when I saw Hikaru and Kaoru smirk at each other. And I knew I wasn't the only nervous person in the room when they walked over to Kelsey and Serin.

"May I try?" Hikaru asked, approaching Kelsey as she lifted the cookie to her mouth again. Hikaru put his hand under her chin, and leaned forward like he was going to kiss her, then took a bite out of the cookie. _While it was in her mouth._

Tamaki snapped his head up from the corner.

Kaoru put his hand on Serin's head, leaning in close to her. "Uh-oh, Serin," he said. "You've got some crumbs on your face." He leaned in even closer, and licked -yes, _licked_- the crumbs off her face.

Ugh, I thought, sticking my tongue out. Excuse me while I go throw up.

Tamaki had now left his corner completely, and was yelling as loud as he could at the twins. Mostly to Kyoya.

"Did you see what they just did? ! He took a bite while it was in her mouth! And he licked her face -like a dog!"

"And, suddenly, some of the first-years are closer than they've ever been before," Kyoya commented, ignoring Tamaki (as he usually did).

I laughed a little.

Kyoya shifted his eyes to me.

I cleared my throat, pretending to cough, and wiped the smile of my face. Like I'd ever actually think anything he said was funny, I thought.

Kelsey stared at Hikaru, her cheeks flushed, and Serin casually wiped off her face and said, "Y'know, you could've just told me and I would've wiped it off myself, Kaoru."

Kaoru grinned at her.

Serin looked at Kelsey. "And, Hikaru, please don't traumatize our friend, okay?"

Hikaru chuckled and grinned as well. "Well, if nothing else, she'll think of me every time she sees a cookie now."

Kelsey gave Hikaru a look, breaking from her shock. "If you wanted a cookie, Hikaru, there's plenty over there," she said, pointing to the bag.

"That's not how you girls are supposed to react!" Tamaki cried, jumping in the middle of them all. He grabbed Kelsey by the shoulders. "You're supposed to stay strong and reject them! Then casually brush them to the side! Do you understand? !"

Kelsey raised an eyebrow at him. "This is sexual harrassment, senpai."

Serin, Haruhi, and I burst out laughing as the color drained from Tamaki's face.

"'Sexual harrassment'? !" he screeched. "If that's harrassment, then what they did is ten times worse! Someone call the police!"

"Calm down, boss..." the twins said. "We're sorry! We're sorry!"

Serin smirked at Kaoru. "You don't look all that sorry, Kaoru..."

He just grinned.

"Renge-chan! Renge-chan!"

I looked over to see Honey standing in front of Renge (who had been eyeing us all suspiciously). He was holding a little pink rabbit cup, looking at Renge apologetically.

"Want some? It's milk..."

I figured he was trying to make up for what he and Mori had said about her cookies.

Renge muttered something that sounded like, "Lukewarm..."

Honey looked at her questioningly.

Even though he didn't say anything out loud...he had to ask...

"Every single one of you!" she shouted.

Tamaki stopped mid-rant, and we all turned to look at Renge.

"Except for Kyoya, all of your characters are lukewarm!"

Serin, Kelsey, and I just stared at her, probably thinking something like, _So...you're saying they themselves are lukewarm? They're not acting, believe me!_

I added on something like this: _Kyoya's the most lukewarm of them all, you blind fangirl._

"Each of you has to have some sort of dark side, you understand? Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men who are troubled!"

We're not, I thought. Weeeelll...maybe Kelsey is.

"If you keep carrying on like this, it's only a matter of time before the girls get bored and stop coming altogether! Are you _trying_ to ruin my precious Kyoya's business?"

I think I'm gonna puke again.

"As your manager, it's my duty to change your character backgrounds!" She pointed a finger at Honey, who flinched away. "Let's start with you! If all you are is cute inside and out, you're no different than a baby! Therefore...from now on, you are the baby-faced thug!"

Honey cried out in fear.

"And Mori-senpai, you're his childhood friend, the flunkie!"

I could practically see the question mark above Mori's head.

"The twins will be basketball players enslaved in their own world! Haruhi, you're an honors student who's constantly being bullied!"

Strike that. _Everyone_ had question marks above their heads.

And if we three thought we were going to be excluded from this character-revision because we weren't official hosts...we were wrong.

"Serin! You're the girl who can't stand to see her friends hurting, even in the face of your own pain that's constantly dragging you down!"

Serin raised an eyebrow.

"Kelsey! You're the shy, quiet girl who says she likes to be a loner, but truly longs for friendship, and can only find solace in books!"

Kelsey got this weird look on her face. I couldn't read it. Maybe...weirded out? Or...did she think Renge was partially right?

"EmiShae!"

I wanted to flail out in surprise when she said my name, but Serin already had her hand raised to smack me, so I controlled myself.

"You're the best-friend type who is sick and tired of always being compared to Serin!"

Now I had that weirded-out face.

"And as for you, Tamaki-"

This oughta be good, I thought, rolling my eyes.

"-you're the school's idol who is constantly being admired for your good looks, but you actually have an inferiority complex you're hiding from the world! The lonely prince."

Tamaki gasped, as if she were right.

Then Renge smiled happily and spun to face Kyoya. She sighed dreamily. "And Kyoya, you're perfect just the way you are now! So I want you to stay as kind and affectionate as ever!"

So, not at all? I thought.

Kyoya smiled politely. "Thank you. I'm honored."

Meanwhile, Tamaki had begun stumbling around the room, looking depressed. "The lonely prince...! It's true! That title is perfect for me!"

Kelsey laughed once. "Yeah, right. She couldn't be farther from the truth."

Serin and I laughed with her.

The twins grabbed Kyoya and pulled him back over to the group. Renge immediately started jumping up around us, wanting to know what we were saying.

"Come on, Kyoya-senpai!" Hikaru said.

"You've gotta do something!" Kaoru insisted.

"Why?" Kyoya asked, pointing to Tamaki. "It seems the boss is up for it."

Tamaki was leaning against the far wall, looking rather...well, lonely.

"How do these look Renge?" he asked mournfully. "Do these poses work...for a lonely prince?"

"Wow! You're pretty good at those, Tamaki!" Renge said. "But it would be even more effective if you were standing in the rain!"

The twins, Haruhi, Serin, Kelsey, and I all heaved a collective groan.

"Let's just see how things turn out," Kyoya said. "I bet it'll be interesting."

I exhaled. "It always is..."

Kelsey shook her head. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Serin smiled widely and slung an arm around each of our necks. "Come on, you two! Lighten up! This could be fun!"

Was this the girl who had said only the day before that Renge was going to be "a royal pain the butt" to have around the Club?

"Besides, how bad could things possibly get?"

I hate those "You had to ask" moments. They seemed to appear so frequently in my life.

**I have so much trouble spelling "fiancé". It always comes out as "finance" or something. Though, I guess that works for this situation. I'm sure Kyoya would prefer finance to a fiancée XD**

**Ah, the madness of the Lady Manager begins... What will happen next? Don't worry -I'll update again soon! Thanks for reading! ^.^**


	7. Acting Out

**Eep! Chapter 7 already! :D Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing! It means so much!**

**Yes...so our dear Renge has now joined the cast. I love using her in stories (not to mention reading/watching her XD). She adds such an insanity to the club. And takes being an otaku to a whole new level xD**

**So let's see what Kyoya meant by "interesting," shall we? Here we go, Emi and Scree! Let me know what you think! ^.^**

**-VII. Acting Out-**

Cheers rose up from the crowd as Hikaru dribbled the ball down the court. He went for the lay-up... Score! Two more points for Ouran!

The onlookers cheered even louder.

Hikaru smiled widely and waved as he ran past.

A shrill whistle rang through the gym, and Hikaru spun around. A most painful sight met his eyes.

It was his dear twin Kaoru. He was on the floor of the gym, holding his knee, his face twisted with pain.

"Get a stretcher!"

"Take him to the infirmary!"

Serin stood from the bleachers, her hands flying to her mouth. She jumped over the girls around her, running down to the court.

Hikaru was already there, on his knees next to his injured brother.

Serin fell to her knees, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Kaoru!"

"Kaoru!" Hikaru chimed in.

"Get up, Hikaru!" the coach said. "We need you back in the game!"

Hikaru swatted his hand away. "Shut up!"

"Young lady, get off the court!" the referee ordered. "You're not allowed to be down here!"

"You shut up, too!" she shot back.

Kaoru shifted weakly, looking up. "Hikaru... Serin..." he breathed.

They each took one of his hands.

"Listen to me," Kaoru said. "Please don't worry. There's nothing you can do." He squeezed Hikaru's hand, and raised his other, touching his fingertips to Serin's face. "You can't share my pain... You're not the ones who got hurt. Now, go on, Hikaru..."

"I can't!" Hikaru cried, squeezing his brother's hand even tighter.

Serin wrapped her hand around Kaoru's, crying.

"It hurts! It hurts, Kaoru!"

"My pain is your pain," Renge narrated. "It doesn't matter to me if no one else understands. As long as we have each other, we can go on living!"

Suddenly, the gym disappeared. It was replaced with a dreary, rainy courtyard. Tamaki stood over the twins and Serin, dripping wet from the rain. Behind him, Kelsey sat on the edge of the fountain, dressed all in black. She held a black umbrella over her head, and a book clutched to her chest.

"I'm sorry," Tamaki said. "But I'm envious."

Serin and the twins looked up at Tamaki in surprise.

"The way the two of you support each other like that..." He looked at Serin. "And the love you give so freely..."

"But...Suoh-senpai," Serin said.

"How can you be envious of us?" Hikaru asked.

"You're the school's idol," Kaoru said.

Tamaki chuckled ironically, giving them a weak smile. "An idol...right." He brushed his wet bangs out of his face and looked up at the grey sky. "I hate that people all worship me for something as superficial as my appearance. I think it would be much better for me to be alone..."

Kelsey looked at Tamaki, a mix of sadness and longing in her eyes. "Being alone... How could you wish that upon yourself?" She stood, dropping her umbrella to the ground.

Tamaki turned to look at her.

"To have no one... Not one soul who will listen to you...share your fears and failures. Your hopes and dreams." Rain dripped from her hair, and from the ends of her eyelashes. She blinked, tears mixing with raindrops as they ran down her face. "Books are no real comfort! I find no warmth in these pages!" She threw the book to the ground. "Reading about friendship and love do nothing for my soul...but make me long for the companionship of another! How could you even conceive to wish to be alone?"

She sighed. "But who am I to judge? If you truly want to be alone, so be it. But I pray that you have no regrets...when you look back on your lonely life."

"One lonely heart meets another," Renge narrated again. "They pass each other...wounding one another! What are the hearts of these young men and women made of?"

Haruhi ran across the courtyard, trying to hide in a small cluster of trees. She fell against one, breathing heavily.

"You can't run away forever," Honey said.

Haruhi spun, gasped, then slumped to the wet grass, defeated.

"I'm gonna show you what happens to anyone that crosses me," Honey threatened, smirking darkly.

"Don't do it, Mitsukuni," Mori advised. "You should've realized by now that when you hurt others, you're really just hurting yourself."

"I didn't ask you for any advice," Honey snapped. "You want me to put you over my knee again?"

"Will it be the light of salvation that ultimately awaits these people? Or will it be something else...?"

Honey chuckled, an evil tone to it. "Y'know, it really pisses me off when people don't know their place." He continued to smirk at Haruhi, but his smirk got weaker and weaker, until his eyes were filled with tears and he was sobbing.

He flung himself at Haruhi, still crying. "I'm sorry, Haru-chan! I can't do it! I can't watch you and Serin-chan and Kelsa-chan cry like this!"

"CUUUUTTTTT!" Renge screeched. "Cut! Cut! CUUUUTTTT! What's wrong with you? ! You've got to stick to the script!"

"I can't!" Honey cried.

Renge sighed, exasperated, and spun around. "Stop rolling, cameraman!"

"Yes, boss!" the man replied with a thumbs-up.

"I want the rain the make things seem tragic! It's got to..."

"How'd we go from changing our characters to filming a movie about them?" Hikaru asked as I handed him and Kaoru towels.

"Beats me," Kaoru said.

In case you're wondering... It seems I'd gotten some of my mother's persuasive powers after all! I guess, for a good enough cause, I could be convincing. There was absolutely NO way I was going to be in Renge's stupid movie. So I opted to "help out" around set instead. Besides, I knew Serin and Kelsey could act better than I could anyway.

Proof, you say? How about this: They could both cry on command. Case in point.

"And why is there an entire film crew here to shoot it?" Haruhi asked as I handed her a towel as well.

"Apparently, she flew them in from Hollywood," Kyoya answered. He then went on to say that the director made some number-one vampire film back in America.

"These dumb rich people," Serin muttered.

Kelsey walked over then, wringing fake rain out of her hair.

"Hey, you were great, Kels!" Serin said, giving her a thumbs-up.

"No kidding," I agreed, handing her a towel. "I was practically in tears watching you."

Kelsey blushed and smiled. "Thanks, guys." She wiped her face off, looking in a mirror to smooth out the black makeup she was wearing.

I handed her back her glasses (which she'd entrusted to me for safekeeping before we'd started shooting).

"Thanks," she said. "Couldn't see a thing out there without these." She pushed them up on her nose.

"Well, you look pretty darn good without 'em," Serin said. "Not to say that you don't look good with them, of course."

Kelsey blushed again, smiling.

"Hey," I said, looking at her. "You have curly hair."

She blushed again. "Uh...yeah, I do." She smiled a little. "It gets wavy and funky when it gets wet or when it's not straightened."

"It's so cute!" Serin gushed.

She blushed more and smiled a little wider. "Thank you." Then she started trying to wring water out of her black shirt. It was futile, though. She was drenched. So was Serin, actually.

But, man, they made drenched look good!

"I feel bad, though," Kelsey said, tugging on the black, elbow-length fingerless gloves she was wearing. "I feel bad because you just have to sit back here and watch everything, Emi."

I smiled and shook my head. "Don't worry about me! I much prefer the view from behind the camera."

"And another thing," Hikaru said, he and Kaoru still complaining, "how come does this stupid script portrays Kaoru as the pitcher?"

"Yeah!" Kaoru said.

Kelsey and I looked at them, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If you don't know, never mind," they said.

Serin nodded in agreement, and Kyoya smirked.

Kelsey tilted her head to the side, a fingertip on her chin. "Pitcher...?"

I hate when Serin does that... I thought, giving her a look. Knows something, but won't tell us...

"Kelsey!" Tamaki called as he ran closer. He stopped in front of her, a huge smile on his face, loosening his tie. "You were amazing! What a fantastic performance! I really believed you!"

She blushed, running a hand through her wet hair. "Thanks, Tamaki-senpai..."

Serin and I shared a knowing look. Geez, you gave the girl one compliment...

"So, how was I?" Tamaki asked. "Did you like my performance?"

Who didn't see that one coming? Anyone?

"It was...pretty convincing." Kelsey took a towel from the stack I'd set down and handed it to Tamaki. "I'm surprised you were able to get so into your character. You were realy believeable."

It sounded like she was paying him a genuine compliment. Maybe she'd gotten over the whole "I'm so off Cloud 9 and never getting back on" thing and had transferred to "Okay, so maybe Tamaki-senpai's not all _that_ bad, really..."

Tamaki chuckled, taking the towel and putting it over his head, drying off his blonde hair. "I've discovered a new, darker side of myself!" He let the towel hang over his head, and dried off his face with a corner of it. "I'm thinking it might be a good idea to explore it."

"Are you sure about that?"

Tamaki stopped and looked at Kelsey.

Kelsey tilted her head, looking up at him. "Because I think you're fine just the way you are now, senpai."

Tamaki blinked at her for a moment, his cheeks flushing a light pink. "Uh, well," he said softly, "you do?" He looked down, his hair hiding his eyes. "I-If you say so, Kelsey..." He started laughing a little to himself, obviously pleased with what she'd said.

Kelsey blushed and looked away, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Haruhi sighed. "If he gets in touch with his 'darker side,' he'll be that much more trouble."

"Mm-hmm," Serin agreed.

I smiled. "I don't think he'll be exploring any other side of himself while Kelsey's around."

"Mm-hmm," Serin said again, smiling.

[A/N: I just had a thought. For those of you who've heard of and/or seen the anime _D._, you'll understand this. Tamaki's darker side is the Phantom Dark! XD It's so true, though! Okay, sorry to interrupt. Carry on...]

"Oh, Haruhi! Serin! Kelsey! You're on!" Renge called.

Kelsey sighed, handing me her glasses again. "Can't we just give her Kyoya-senpai, say 'Have fun,' and move on with our lives?" she asked.

"All in favor?" Serin asked.

"Aye!" Haruhi, Kelsey, Serin, and I said.

We all sighed.

"Coming!" Haruhi called.

I decided to follow them, mostly because I didn't want to listen to the twins complaints anymore.

And partly because I was tired of catching Kyoya looking at me. I could always feel his cold gaze on me before I even turned around. What the heck is he staring at me for? What's his deal, seriously? I wondered as I followed the group.

"Over here!" Renge called when we couldn't find her.

We went around a corner, and saw Renge standing in front of two mean-looking guys. She smiled. "These two gentlemen have just agreed to make an appearance in our film!"

"Huh? In your film?" one asked.

"What are you talking about?" the other asked.

"Please excuse Renge," Serin said. "She sometimes has trouble explaining things."

"After all," Renge continued, as if Serin hadn't spoken, "we're gonna need some tough guys for the big climax!"

We started and stared at Renge.

"That's when all the club members come together to face the real villains at their school! According to the script, these two are from a wealthy family that got their wealth by being a part of the Japanese Mafia! And now they've kidnapped Kelsey and Serin, so the boys have to get them back!" She swooned. "Don't you think it's a brilliant casting choice?"

"What's with this girl?" one guy snapped.

"Whatever my father does has nothing to do with me!" the other said.

"Wait a minute!" Haruhi said. "Renge!"

Renge ignored Haruhi, grabbing onto one of the guys' arms. "Just come over here and wait for your cue...!"

"Hey! You think you can push me around? You don't even know me!" He snatched his arm back from Renge. In the process of getting away from Renge, his arm recoiled back and hit Kelsey right across the face.

Kelsey fell backwards onto the ground. Her hand flew up to cover her right eye. She inhaled sharply.

We gasped. "Kelsey!" We ran over to her, sitting her up.

Tears started rolling out from under her hand. "I'm fine," she breathed.

"Are you alright?" Renge asked worriedly.

Haruhi shot a look that was almost a glare at Renge. "That guy was right, Renge!"

Renge started and looked at Haruhi.

"If you judge people by how they look, you're stereotyping them, and you'll never see the person inside."

Renge made a quiet whimpering noise. "I'm, uh... I'm not sure I know what you mean."

We heard foosteps approaching and looked up.

"What happened-?" Tamaki took one look at the tears rolling down Kelsey's face, her hand over one eye, the concerned looks on our faces, the mean-looking guys, and surmised what the situation was.

He was smarter than he looked, apparently.

He glared at the guys, then ran over, grabbing one (the one that had hit Kelsey) by his collar and shoving him against the wall. "So which one of you jerks started this?" he asked darkly.

"Wait, Suoh!" the other said. "It's not what you think! That girl started it! She was giving us a hard time!"

Kelsey inhaled again, rubbing her eye. "He's telling the truth, senpai," she said. "It's not their fault. It was an accident. And they were provoked."

Tamaki released the guy and ran over to us.

The guys took that opportunity to flee the scene -a good idea on their parts. Even if it _was_ an accident, I knew that Serin and I were ready to go kick their butts ourselves for hurting Kelsey.

Kelsey took away her hand as Tamaki knelt down in front of her, taking her face in his hands. That's when we noticed the cut on her cheek.

"That guy must've hit you pretty hard," Serin said, looking at the blood trickling down Kelsey's face.

Kelsey forced a smile. "I'm fine," she insisted. "I've had a lot worse than this."

"Your eye doesn't look too good either," I said.

"We'd better get you to the nurse's office," Tamaki said.

"No, really," Kelsey said. Now she sounded afraid. "J-Just put a band-aid over it and I'll be fine."

Renge started making weird noises again, and we looked up. "T... Please tell me you got that, cameraman!"

"Yes, boss!"

We all stared at her in shock. She'd still been filming?

"That was the ideal final scene! All it needs now is a moving narration by my sweet Kyoya-!"

We all jumped at the sound of glass breaking.

Seems Kyoya was as unhappy with Renge as we were, since he'd just smashed the lens on the camera.

"Ah! What'd you do to my camera? !" the cameraman shouted.

Renge blinked at Kyoya, confused. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I'm terribly sorry," Kyoya said, "but I cannot allow there to be any record of a Club member engaging in violence." He looked at her. "I think you've caused enough trouble around here, Renge. Please stop being such a pest."

I couldn't help but smile at that. _Finally_ someone was setting her straight.

"A...pest?" Renge whimpered, tears forming in her eyes. "But you're supposed to pat me on the head and tell me not to worry! You're supposed to be kind and affectionate, Kyoya!" A sob left her mouth. "Why are you acting so differently now? ! Tell me why!"

Tamaki smiled a little. "Because that's not the real Kyoya."

I laughed once. "Far from it..."

Serin smacked me.

"Ow!"

Renge turned to look at us, then fell to her knees, sobbing.

Haruhi shook her head and walked over to Renge, crouching down in front of her. "Does it really matter?"

Renge looked up at her.

"So what if Kyoya-senpai is a little different than you expected him to be? Take a good look at the person inside, and get to know them little-by-little."

"It's certainly a lot more fun that way," Serin said, smiling at Kelsey.

Kelsey smiled back.

"Now, I believe Tamaki-senpai mentioned the nurse's office...?" I said.

Kelsey shook her head. "There's no need for that! Really!" She put her hands down on either side of her, pushing herself up off the ground.

Tamaki, Serin, and I stood as well, watching her carefully.

"See? I'm perfectly fi-" She started swaying, and fell forward.

Right into Tamaki's arms.

"Dizzy..." she said.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Serin said quietly, smirking.

"Hush, you!" I whispered. "She's really hurt!"

"I know, but still..." she said, nodding towards Tamaki, who was know picking Kelsey up.

"Geez, you don't have to carry me," Kelsey said, blushing like mad.

"Nonsense," Tamaki said, smiling. "Can't have you falling down with every step you take, now can we?"

"Enjoy it while you can," Serin teased quietly.

Kelsey gave her an embarrassed look, and Serin laughed.

I rolled my eyes and raised my hand to smack Seirn. Purely for revenge's sake, I promise.

"You smack me, and, I swear, I'll Sparta-kick you off the roof."

I sighed. I swear, I thought, she's got eyes in the back of her head!

We continued to push the nurse's office, but Kelsey wouldn't hear of it. So we had one of the film crew people get us a first aid kit, and Serin set in to patch up her face.

Kelsey chuckled as Serin cleaned the blood off her cheek. "It's probably because I didn't have my glasses on. I mean, how did I _not_ see that coming?"

"Seriously," Serin said. "You're clumsy enough _with_ the glasses."

"I know."

We laughed.

Serin put a small bandage over the cut. "How's that feel?" she asked, handing her an ice pack for her eye.

"Better," Kelsey replied, laying the ice pack on her injured eye. "Thanks."

Tamaki then came over to make sure she was alright.

I glanced over and noticed Kyoya standing by himself, making notes in his ledger as he always did. I sighed, thinking, You're an idiot, EmiShae...

I turned and walked over to him. I stood next to him in silence for a few moments, glancing at him, then away. I exhaled. "Thank you."

He looked at me, seemingly in surprise.

"One thing you should know about me is I love my friends more than anything in the world. Seeing one of them hurt really gets me worked-up. So I...I wanted to thank you, for smashing the camera lens. ...For doing what I would've done, I guess." I glanced at him, then walked away.

I felt his gaze follow me as I rejoined Kelsey and Serin, but I didn't turn to look. It would only make the questions start flying at me again.

_Several days later..._

So all Kelsey got from that day (which we fondly remember as the Renge Episode) was a small cut that healed in a few days, and a black eye that stayed for a week. She didn't seem to mind too much. (Serin said that Kelsey didn't mind because of what Tamaki had done, but you never can tell with Kelsey.) And I'll tell you one thing -she sure looked tough with the bandage and the black eye. It looked like she'd gotten into a fight or something. And the kids walking down the hall had no idea that she was really a clumsy kind of girl that wouldn't hurt a fly.

If nothing else, she got noticed for a week or so.

But, a few days after the whole ordeal...

"Hello, ladies," Tamaki greeted the guests. "Come on in."

"I bought the video of that film you all made!" one girl said excitedly.

"I bought it, too!" another said.

"And so did I!"

We blinked at them.

"You...did?" Tamaki asked.

"That scene in the rain was just phenomenal!"

"I love the Lonely Prince and the Lonely Princess!"

"And the loving relationships between Hikaru and Kaoru and Kaoru and Serin were so sweet!"

The continued gushing about how cute Honey was as a thug, and how "poignant" Haruhi's expressions were. And we all continued wondering what the heck was going on.

Tamaki glared off into space. "Kyoya...?"

Kyoya grinned down at his notes. "I may have broken the camera's lens, but the footage we'd already shot wasn't damaged. But, naturally, I did cut out that one violent scene." He clicked his pen. "Sales have been pretty good so far." He looked up from his ledger at us. "That Hollywood film crew did a fantastic job." He adjusted his glasses. "But I guess that's to be expected."

"So, is this what you mean by 'interesting'?" the twins asked.

"It's best to have as much money as we can in the Club's budget," Kyoya replied, shrugging.

I gave him a look that I really hoped he saw. I guess I thanked him a bit prematurely, I thought. When did he start calculating all of this anyway -the minute Renge walked in the room? !

Kelsey raised an eyebrow. "'Lonely Princess'?" she asked.

"Hey, you're famous!" Serin said, bumping her with her shoulder.

She looked at us. "Princess, really?"

"But a princess who can kick butt!" I said.

"Or one that can take a punch," she said.

We laughed.

"Good day, everyone."

We all looked up in surprise.

"Renge?" the twins asked.

"But I thought you had gone back to France already," Tamaki said.

"That explains a lot," Serin said, speaking of the fact that Renge was from France.

"I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner," Renge said. "I could feel the love in your voice when you lectured me about judging people!" She jumped forward and grasped Haruhi's hand in her own. "When you said it was fun to get to know people little-by-little, you were talking about me!"

Tamaki jumped up from the couch, glaring at Renge and stuttering unintelligibly.

"Yeah..." Haruhi said nervously.

"Come on, Haruhi!" Renge said, dragging Haruhi away. "Let's go to my house and play some video games! I think it's time you got to know me better!"

"What?" Haruhi cried.

"Oh, EmiShae! Serin! Kelsey! You all come, too!"

"Uh..."

"No way."

"I'll pass."

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai," Hikaru said.

"You okay with that?" Kaoru asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kyoya asked, writing again. "Everything Renge said is true."

"No, it isn't!" Tamaki snapped.

Kyoya smiled. "But I thought you were the one who wanted Haruhi to have a female friend in the first place."

"Well, yeah, a female companion, not a girlfriend!"

"Come on, Haruhi!"

"No! Don't take my little Haruhi from me! Haruhi's already got female companions! These three!" he cried, pointing at us.

"I'm out," Serin said, jumping up from the couch.

"Right behind you," I said, running after her.

"And the Lonely Princess and her cohorts have left the building!"

I was again reminded of just how wrong first impressions could be. And, boy, was I ever glad Kelsey wasn't really quiet and proper _all_ the time!


	8. What It Takes

**Ah, it's that time again! How was everyone's vacation? I had no voice. Bleh on laryngitis. Especially on my 18th birthday. xP Anyway, sorry it's taken me so long to get another chapter up :( But it's here now! :D Another new character is in this one!**

**Oh, quick Author's Note before we get started...**

**In an attempt to differentiate this story from a previous one I wrote (and completed) about two friends and I at the Ouran Host Club (that follows the _Ouran _anime in a similiar fashion to my **_**Fruits Basket**_** story "Lovely Traces") (by the way, I really need to start posting that story soon... The **_**Ouran**_** one, not "Lovely Traces" -keep bugging me about it, EmiShae!), and to try to move the story along a little more quickly...I'm sorry to say this, but some episodes will be skipped :( ...I mean, I've already got dialogues and situations planned out all the way to the Ouran Fair (which is at the end of the anime, for those who don't know). SO**** sorry that I'm skipping around some! **_**Sumimasen!**_** I'm trying to get some interesting things happening, instead of just paralleling the anime through the entire series. Not that the anime isn't interesting, but...**

**Ah, that was so long... Anyway, it's story time! I hope you all like it. Oh! And thanks for the reviews, everyone! Emi, Scree, enjoy :)**

**-VIII. What It Takes-**

The next week passed peacefully. Our classes, the Host Club, and hanging out and doing homework filled our days. The Renge Episode was all but forgotten...

Uh, yeah right! Nothing was ever "peaceful" when it concerned the Host Club. But we _had_ moved past the Renge Episode. The guests hadn't yet, but what are you gonna do about that?

Actually, Kelsey had come up with a solution. To quote her, "We'll build a time machine and travel into the future to find a memory-erasing device. Like the Men In Black have! Then we'll come back here and erase all the guests' memories of ever having seen the movie! It's genius!"

Then, Serin being Serin, she had to rain on the parade by saying, "Wouldn't it just be easier to use the time machine to travel back in time and make it so Renge never even came to Ouran, let alone made the movie?"

Kelsey had looked at her and said, "I dunno, I'm just lazy." Seemed she said this whenever someone suggested a simpler alternative to something she'd come up with or said. So, really, she wasn't "lazy." That was just the word she used, meaning she for opted for the more complicated procedures.

And, if you're wondering, yes, I was the only one in that conversation wondering if a time machine could actually, plausibly be made. But it was better than focusing on the cosplay the hosts had us wearing...again.

The theme of the day? Arabian palace. It wasn't much better than the kimonos, honestly. We had the whole turban, desert sands look going on. Well, the hosts did. I guess women don't wear turbans. We had to wear scarves over our facess instead, so as not to "cause young men to stumble upon looking at our beautiful faces." That's how Tamaki put it, at any rate. Like there'd be any guys besides the hosts at the Club...

All I knew was that we were dressed as women from _The Arabian Nights_, we were wearing enough gold bracelets and necklaces and earrings to buy a small country, we had scarves covering half our faces, and I was getting tired of trying to blow mine away from my mouth.

"Cut it out," Serin said, annoyed.

I blew again. "I can't help it! It feels weird on my mouth!" The scarf fell back against my mouth. "And it keeps sticking to my lips!"

Serin tugged the scarf off my lips and gave me a look. "Just leave it alone. Or I'll smack you."

"Okay," I said.

Serin smirked triumphantly (I could tell by just looking that that was what she was doing -even with half her face hidden), laughing once.

The entire room fell silent at the sound of the door opening. Quick as lightning, the hosts jumped into their places to welcome the guests.

Serin, Kelsey, and I exchanged a look for a split second, then went to join the hosts.

As the door swung open, the hosts greeted, "Welcome to the Ouran Host Club."

We were all shocked to see an elementary student (a boy, no less) fall back onto the ground, staring at us all in shock and fear.

"Oh," Hikaru said, his smile falling. "It's just a kid."

"Not only that," Kaoru said, "but a boy."

"What's wrong, little boy?" Tamaki asked, holding his hand out in the boy's direction. "Did you come to my palace in search of something?"

"I think that movie we shot with Renge went to his head," Kelsey whispered.

Serin and I nodded, glancing at Tamaki.

The boy stood, stuttering and looking at Tamaki. "A-A-Are y-you...the king of this place?"

Surprise spread across Tamaki's face, then he exhaled happily.

"Well, are you?" the boy asked again.

"Come closer, lost one," Tamaki said, beckoning to him.

The boy did as he said.

"What was it you just called me, little boy?" Tamaki asked.

The boy blinked at him. "...The king."

Tamaki stood, putting his hand to his head dramatically. "Oh! The king! Yes, I am the king of the Ouran Host Club!" He began spinning around happily. "Long live the Host King!"

"Yep, definitely went to his head," I whispered.

Seirn and Kelsey nodded.

"I'm an elementary fifth-year," the boy said. "Shiro Takaoji!"

No need to shout, kid, I thought.

Tamaki stopped his whirling and looked at the boy.

Shiro raised his hand, and pointed at Tamaki. "And I want the Host King to take me on as an apprentice!"

I think most of the hosts were thinking, "Um...say what?"

The three of us, on the other hand, were thinking, "You've got to be kidding me."

**;;;;;**

Well, OF COURSE Tamaki agreed to take the kid on as an apprentice! It was made clear that flattery would get you everywhere where Tamaki was concerned.

So we ditched the _Arabian Nights_ look (thank goodness), and Club activites went on as usual.

Well...except for Shiro "observing" Tamaki's host skills. He was watching very intently...and practically leaning in between Tamaki and one of his guests in the process.

Serin sighed.

Kelsey raised one eyebrow. "That's... Yeah, that's just weird."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Haruhi agreed.

"There is a theory that people are considered more beautiful the closer they are viewed," Kyoya said.

"Yeah, well, Tamaki-senpai seems to live by that theory," I said.

Kyoya chuckled once and opened his ledger, writing yet again. "Well, let's leave them alone."

Nevertheless, we all looked back over anyway.

"You naughty girl... You've drawn me to the forbidden fruit! My dearest...you're the mermaid who has brought light into my lonely sea! My mermaid princess..."

The girl blushed. "I remind you...of a mermaid?"

Shiro jumped from his chair, pointing at the girl. "You look more like the carp that swim in my pond at home! I'd never give false compliments like that!"

"Carp?" the girl cried in surprise.

Kelsey, Serin, and I slapped hands over our mouths, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, don't listen to him!" Tamaki said quickly. "He's just a kid! And...you know how kids are. They can't help but be honest."

"Honest?"

The three of us almost lost it right there.

"But that's just his opinion! I wouldn't say you look like a carp! ...And even if you were a carp, you'd be the most beautiful carp in the world."

"So I AM a carp?"

Tamaki started stuttering nervously. "Uh... Wait, that's not what I-"

The girl ran away, yelling, "Tamaki, you're an idiot!"

"No, wait! Mermaid princess!"

We were doubled over laughing. Every time we tried to stop, we looked at each other and started up again.

"Thank you for visiting the Host Club!" Serin called after the girl, which set us off laughing again.

"Man, what a crybaby," Shiro said boredly.

Tamaki started, deflated a little, dejected, then turned to glare at Shiro, who had sat back in his chair.

The twins were laughing just as hard as we were at this whole scene.

"So how's it going, boss?" Hikaru asked. "That's some little apprentice you've got there."

Kaoru suddenly stopped laughing, and looked at Hikaru. "Hikaru?"

Hikaru stopped as well, and looked at his brother.

"Do you wish you had a little brother like Shiro?"

Hikaru started, suprised, and flung his arms around Kaoru, holding him close. "Don't be silly," he said. "I could search the globe, and I'd never find a better brother than you, Kaoru."

"H-Hikaru...!"

Some girls squealed and jumped closer.

"Look! They're doing it!"

"Forbidden brotherly love!"

Kelsey and I shook our heads. Serin smirked.

Shiro clutched his shirtfront in his fist, stepping away in fear. "They're homos!" he cried. "And they're brothers! That makes this totally inceptuous!"

Tamaki stepped up behind him. "I think what you meant to say was 'incestuous,'" he corrected.

Kelsey sighed. "I can't believe he's correcting an elementary student on the proper use of the word 'incest.'"

"Yeah, you sure got the golden child on this one, Kels," Serin said.

"Mm, yeah, I-" She started and looked at Serin. "Hey!"

Serin burst out laughing again, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Kidding, kidding!"

Shiro was almost knocked to the ground when Honey flung himself at him.

"Hey, Shiro-chan!"

Shiro straightened up, Honey hanging on his back.

"You wanna have some cake? We've got three flavors -chocolate, strawberry, and lime!"

"Cut it out!" Shiro ordered, shoving Honey off of him. "What grade are you in, anyway? Why are you wearing a high school uniform?"

Serin fake-coughed. "Third-year." She coughed again.

I mimicked her, saying, "Oldest one here."

Kelsey did as well, and said, "The coughing doesn't make this subtle."

Serin coughed again. "I think it does."

A shadow fell over Honey and Shiro. Shiro looked deathly afraid, and Honey looked grateful.

"Something wrong, Mitsukuni?"

Honey jumped away, and up onto Mori's shoulders.

"Hey!" Shiro cried. "That's not fair! A little guy like you isn't supposed to have a cool older friend like him!"

I exhaled. Actually, I thought, they're in the same grade. ...And Honey-senpai's older.

Shiro stumbled away again, this time running into Haruhi.

Haruhi jumped, almost dropping the tea tray she was carrying. She steadied herself, then looked at Shiro. "You alright?"

He turned to look at her.

"I know, it's kinda hard getting used to all the weirdoes around here. Took me a while to get adjusted to all the craziness around here. So don't freak out, I'm sure you'll get it."

Shiro just continued staring at her.

Haruhi blinked at him. "Something wrong?"

A couple more seconds of silence.

"Are you a cross-dresser?"

Our eyes widened, and we pressed our lips together, trying not to smile.

The twins and Tamaki, on the other hand, sprang into action, forming the "Committee To Assert That Haruhi Is Definitely A Boy"!

...No, Kelsey, Serin, and I wanted no part in this committee, thank you.

Tamaki jumped over next to Shiro, slapping a hand over his eyes. He laughed nervously. "O-kay, I think that's enough of that! I think it's time for Shiro to carry the tea set!"

"Wow, Haruhi!" Kaoru said. "You're looking extra manly today!"

"Why don't you do what the boss says, and let Shiro handle that tea set?" Hikaru suggested. "It's part of his training! You're too macho for tea sets anyway."

The three of them forced laughs, trying to seem "cool." They were failing miserably.

"That kid's more perceptive than he looks," Kelsey said.

"No joke," I said. "He's got a good eye..."

Haruhi sighed and held the tray out to Shiro. "Now, be careful with it," she warned. "It's pretty heavy."

The moment she let go of it, Shiro did the same. The entire set clattered onto the floor, smashing to pieces.

"It's not my fault I dropped it," Shiro claimed. He looked at Haruhi. "It's your fault 'cause you're the one who made me take it in the first place."

Haruhi glared at him. "Say what?"

Kyoya made a note in his ledger. "That's another one-hundred thousand yen, Haruhi."

"Huh?" she cried.

Shiro spun to glare at Tamaki. "Hey! You should make the cross-dresser do all your stupid chores!"

We tried to stifle our laughter.

"Or your maids over there!"

Now it was our turn to glare at Shiro.

"Ooh, he's messing with the wrong girl..." Serin said, cracking her knuckles. "It's Sparta-kicking time." She started to march over to Shiro.

Kelsey and I jumped over, each of us grabbing one arm.

Serin flailed. "Lemme at him! No one calls me and my friends maids and gets away with it!"

"I'm not here to carry tea sets!" Shiro continued. "I'm here to learn how to make women happy!"

"You won't get anywhere with that attitude," Tamaki muttered. "And I will not let you disrespect Haruhi, or Kelsey, or EmiShae, or Serin!"

"I should applaud him," Kelsey said.

"Why?" Serin asked, now that she was done with her flailing.

"He remembered all our names."

"So...!" Tamaki pointed at Shiro. "Put this brat in isolation!" he demanded.

"You got it, boss!" the twins replied, saluting. They sounded only too happy to do it.

Suddenly, a large iron cage dropped from the ceiling, imprisoning Shiro.

I blinked, thinking that I was seeing things. The looks on Serin's and Kelsey's faces told me I wasn't the only one, though. What the...?

"Hey!" Shiro shouted. "What's going on here? Why'd you put me in a cage?"

"Yeah, and where'd it come from?" Haruhi asked.

"Isn't this supposed to be a music room?" Kelsey wondered aloud.

Shiro began climbing the bars, trying to get out. "This is no way to treat your loyal apprentice! Now lemme outta here!"

"Not until you've learned your lesson." Tamaki was now sitting at a table, casually sipping some coffee from a cup. "I made you my apprentice because I thought you were serious about become a host...but I guess I was wrong."

"I am serious!" Shiro insisted. "Totally serious!"

Unconvinced, Tamaki continued drinking his coffee.

Shiro gripped the bars in his hands, shaking. "I want you to teach me how to make a woman happy!" He shook harder, then fell to his knees. "I'm gonna run out of time... Please won't you teach me?"

"Run out of time," Kelsey whispered.

"So that wasn't just me?" Serin asked. "You heard that too?"

"Me too," I said.

"You're a host because you like girls," Shiro said, still speaking to Tamaki. "You like bringing a smile to a girl's face. That's why you do it, right?"

Tamaki still refused to look at Shiro.

"Please, won't you teach me to be like you? You're a genius at it! You're...the king!"

Tamaki looked up, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks.

"Oy," Kelsey sighed. "Here we go again..."

Tamaki stood, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, you may be a brat, but I admire your desire to become a host, so I will teach you."

"Hmm," Shiro said, nodding.

"You know, Shiro," Tamaki siad, smiling, "you and I are so much alike."

"You poor kid," Haruhi, Serin, Kelsey, and I said in unison.

Shiro stood, smiling. "Then you'll teach me to be the kind of host that can make any woman happy?"

"Of couse," Tamaki replied. "Making women happy is the sole purpose of being a host. If this is what you really want, Shiro, then you'll have to figure out how to use the material you already have."

Shiro stared at Tamaki, a blank expression on his face. "What does that mean?"

Kyoya stepped forward. "You see..."

Ooh, I thought, Mister Glinty-Glasses is gonna offer us some enlightenment on the subject.

"...here at the Ouran Host Club, our policy is to use our individual personality traits to meet the needs of our guests. For example, there is Tamaki, who is the princely type. There's Mori-senpai, the strong, silent type. Honey-senpai, the boy-Lolita type. Hikaru and Kaoru, the little devil type."

Each of the hosts went to stand beside Kyoya as their names were called.

"Haruhi, who is the natural type."

Haruhi pointed to herself. "The 'natural'?" she asked.

"And...the cool type." Kyoya smirked. "It's all about variety. And now our group is complete with the addition of Serin, Kelsey, and EmiShae - the best-friend types."

We all raised an eyebrow at him.

What happened to the whole "figure of speech" thing? I thought.

"It would seem that, right now, we have a perfect blend of characteristics," Kyoya continued, ignoring our looks. "So it's going to be difficult to find a new type for Shiro."

"If you go by his age, he should be the boy-Lolita type," Hikaru said.

"But Honey-senpai's already got that covered," Kaoru said.

Honey sniffled, looking up at us with tear-filled eyes. "Is he gonna replace me?"

"Oh, come on! Is that all you've got?" a familiar voice asked disappointedly.

We all began looking around when we heard the voice.

A platform suddenly rose from the ground, and none other than our manager Renge stood atop it.

"What's up with this place?" I asked. "It's supposed to be a music room!"

Renge sighed. "Sorry to interrupt, but what's with the lack-luster character analysis? Honestly, I thought I taught you better."

Tamaki exhaled. "Alright then, Miss Manager, how would _you_ work Shiro into our collection of characters?" He grinned. "He can't be the boy-Lolita because Honey's already got that covered!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Renge snapped. Now listen up!"

As soon as she said that, I zoned out. I didn't want to listen to another Renge rant on characters and fans -especially when it concerned boy-Lolita types.

I did notice something funny, though. As Renge spoke, Kyoya wrote as quickly as he could.

I raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh. Was he taking notes? 'Cause that's what it looked like!

"If I had to pick a character for him..." Renge thought for a moment. "Ah, yes! He'd be the naughty type without a doubt!"

Shiro gulped. "The naughty type?"

The cage was lifted from around Shiro, and Renge started blowing on a whistle.

The three of us sighed, taking a few steps away.

"This is ridiculous," Kelsey said.

"If she says one word about making another movie, I'm gonna-"

"Blonde her to death?" Serin interrupted.

I gave her a look, which she returned with a grin.

"I'm just wondering if what Haruhi told her even got through her skull," Kelsey said. "Does she think she can just make anyone into any character she wants?"

We turned and saw that the twins were putting bandages on Shiro, and drawing cuts and scars on his face and knees.

"Apparently so," I said.

Shiro then began running around the room, then tripped over a conviently-placed rope across his path.

Renge knelt down next to him. "Are you alright, little boy?" She blew her whistle. "Now give 'em your catch-phrase!"

Shiro wiped at his face with the back of his hand. "No big deal. It was nothin'."

Renge squealed. "That was absolutely perfect, Shiro!"

Tamaki began clapping. "That was outstanding! I never knew you were such a good coach, Renge."

Renge laughed proudly in reply.

Shiro stood, staring into space in disbelief.

"He's probably realized we're all idiots," Serin said.

We nodded.

Shiro cried out in frustration. "I've had enough of you people!" He sighed. "This is so stupid! None of this is ever gonna help me make her happy!"

"Who's...'her'?" I asked.

Shiro took off running, leaving us behind to wonder.

"Wait, Shiro!" Tamaki called after him. "We haven't taught you how to apply the techniques that you've learned yet!"

Shiro slammed the door behind him.

"I swear," Renge said, climbing back onto her platform, "younger boys are good for nothing. I give him all that coaching, and he quits."

"I can't believe he ditched just because he didn't like the lesson," Tamaki said. "What a selfish little brat!"

"Not many people would enjoy a lesson like that," Kelsey said.

"Never mind that," I said. "Didn't you hear what he said?"

"Yeah," Serin said. "He said he was gonna run out of time."

"What do you think he means by that?" Haruhi asked.

Kelsey folded her arms over her chest. "I think...maybe...it's a girl."

Tamaki looked back at the door. "Hmm..."

If it was a bad thing when Serin started thinking up plans...then it was even worse when Tamaki started up.


	9. Some Surprising Findings

**Thank you, thank you, everyone (Scree, Emi, AnimeVamp1997, and Red Rose Cat) for your reviews! :D Dey make meh so happeh :3**

**Gah, this chapter seems so long... Sorry about that *sweatdrop* I hope you all like it anyway!**

**Emi, Scree, it's time for chapter 9! EEP! I hope you both like it! And thank you both so much for...well, for liking the story! I'm doin' my best! ^.^ Love you both!**

**Happy reading. :)**

**-IX. Some Surprising Findings-**

"How did we let them talk us into this?" I hissed, annoyed.

Serin rolled her eyes. "Quit being such a party-pooper."

Honey blinked at me, somewhat apologetic. "It'll be okay, Emi-chan," he said.

Kelsey exhaled, about as happy as I was about this whole thing. "I can't believe how easy it was to sneak in, though..."

"Well, Honey-senpai really _does_ look like an elementary school student in that uniform," Serin said.

"Yeah, he does," I said. "But why'd they have you wear it, Honey-senpai?"

Serin smacked me. "Duh! 'Cause we're sneaking into a _elementary school_...?"

I shook my head.

"What _I_ don't understand," Kelsey said, "is why they had _us_ wear these middle school disguises." She sighed. "Dumb Haruhi... Finagling her way out of this..." she muttered under her breath. "Claiming she had 'studying' to do..."

Something tells me Kelsey's not quite over whatever happened between her and Haruhi, I thought.

Yeah... Basically, here's what happened.

_Earlier that day..._

"Alright, gentlemen," Tamaki said to the hosts standing around him, "it's time to initiate our mission."

Serin snorted from our place with Honey at the end of the table. "'Mission'?"

"What mission?" Honey asked.

I think Kelsey and I were mainly worried by the fact that the rest of the hosts seemed to be...grinning about something. Even Mori!

"I've assessed the situation," Tamaki continued seriously. "We'll infiltrate the elementary school." He hung his head a little, chuckling darkly. Then he grinned at the four of us. "You're going in."

I know even Serin gulped when he said that.

"But...where are we going?" Kelsey asked.

She had to ask...

_End flashback._

"Why did we even bother with disguses?" Kelsey asked.

"Yeah," I said, looking around at all the students that only came up to our middle (even Honey was at least a head taller than them all). "We stick out like sore thumbs!"

"Would you two loosen up?" Serin said, exasperated.

_Now to Tamaki, Kyoya, and the rest of the hosts, hiding a short distance from the operatives (a.k.a., Honey, EmiShae, Serin, and Kelsey)._

"Oh, there's a reason," Tamaki said quietly, answering Kelsey's question. "A damn good reason..."

He and the hosts looked at Honey tugging Kelsey and EmiShae down the hall, Serin skipping happily along behind. "This way!" he instructed.

"Isn't she the cutest?" the twins said. (Hikaru, really, had just been going along with his twin telepathy, all the while wondering why Kaoru was thinking that...and not feeling too happy about it either.)

Glee spread across Tamaki's reddening face, and he smiled widely. "Ah, just look at her in that miniskirt...! Ke-" He cleared his throat. "They look like little dolls!" He practically squealed with joy.

Kyoya didn't show what he was thinking (as usual), but, if he had, he was sure his face would've been just as red as Tamaki's. He shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts away. "So, basically," he said in his customary cool manner, "you just wanted to see them dressed up like that?"

Kyoya just loved raining on Tamaki's parade, just as Serin loved raining on EmiShae's and Kelsey's.

_Back to the operatives._

Honey approached a classroom, slowly opening the door and peeking inside. "This is it!" he said, looking at us. "Shiro-chan's classroom!" He opened the door wider and bounded in, smiling. "When I was in elementary school, this was my classroom, too!" He giggled happily.

Serin, Kelsey, and I followed him in, looking around the empty classroom as Honey scampered around and looked for his old desk.

Kelsey rested her hand on top of one of the desks. "Looks like no one's here..." she said.

"So, the kids classroom is empty, huh?"

Kelsey's eyes rolled up to the ceiling (but I did see her blush a little).

"This sure takes me back," the twins said, following Tamaki in.

"I wonder if doodles are still on my desk," Kaoru said.

"Unlikely," Kyoya said, coming in as well (followed by Mori), "since they change out desks every year."

What a waste of money, I thought.

"Let's check out the cafeteria after this!" Hikaru suggested.

"I want to see the old gym," Kaoru chimed in.

Kelsey clenched her hands into fists at her sides, Serin facepalmed, and I sighed heavily.

"Good idea guys-!"

"Hey!" I whisper-yelled. "If you're just gonna barge in like that, then why'd we wear these stupid disguises?"

"Don't worry about it," the twins said. "There's no one here to catch us."

Kelsey cocked her head to one side, listening. Serin and I followed her lead.

"Someone's coming!" Kelsey hissed.

We all dove down, hiding behind desks.

"If the teacher finds us..." "...we'll have a hard time explaining what we're doing here," the twins said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Serin whispered.

"Shhh!" Kelsey ordered.

The hosts looked at her.

"Just keep your lips zipped!" She made a motion across her mouth with her hand, like she actually had a zipper across her mouth.

I saw Tamaki's face turn bright red as he mimicked her motion. I would've laughed, but then Serin probably would've hit me, so...

Serin stood and crept over to the door, peeking out. She turned back. "It's alright," she said. "He's gone."

"Good," Kelsey said, as we all stood.

"But...we came here to get information on Shiro," I said. "So what should we do now?"

"Well, here's something interesting..."

Of course Mr. Glinty-Glasses has the answer, I thought, somewhat irked. As you can see, I liked using that name quite often for that heartless jerk.

Said heartless jerk was standing at the back of the room with Honey, looking at some framed photographs on the wall.

We crossed the room.

"What'd you find?" Serin asked.

Kyoya pointed to one of the pictures. It was of Shiro, playing a piano next to a pretty little girl.

"So he's in the classical music club..." Kyoya mused.

I sighed in my head. Fine, I thought. One point for Ohtori.

"Nice to see him smiling for a change," Kelsey said.

"Who knew he could look so sweet, huh?" Serin asked.

I glanced at Tamaki. He had a strange expression on his face, as if he'd just come to realize something. But...what? All he said was, "Yeah..."

**;;;;;**

We left the classroom and went to find the music room. As soon as I heard that that was what we were looking for, I just started praying that the elementary school didn't have a Host Club as well.

When we did find the room, the three of us girls and Honey crept over to the window, crouching down to peek inside.

"Look!" Honey said quietly, pointing. "There's Shiro-chan!"

He was sitting on a window seat across the room. He looked like he was holding sheet music in his hands. He was looking out the window, and seemed very detached from the other students chattering around him.

A girl (the same girl from the picture) approched Shiro. "Takaoji?" she asked.

Shiro shifted his gaze to look at her.

"I'm sorry," she said with a smile, "but have you been practicing the new piece Teacher gave us?"

"The new piece? Not really..." he said.

"If you want, I can show it to you," she said. "Do you wanna come play it with me?"

"No thanks," Shiro replied. "You go ahead. After all, there's only one grand piano. You should use it, Kamishiro."

She looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you! I will, then. And if you wanna join me, just let me know!" And she walked away, giggling a little.

She sat down at the piano, setting up her sheet music. She then set her fingers on the keys and began playing. Playing better than I'd ever hope to play in my entire life.

I looked back at Shiro. He had closed his eyes, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Hmm, I thought. Interesting...

The door to the music room opened, and we looked up. One of the girls walked out, and was immediately greeted by a, "Pardon me, mademoiselle," and was offered a rose.

"I've never seen a rose more lovelier than you, my dear," Tamaki continued. "Here," he said, holding out the rose, "this is for you."

The girl blushed and timidly took the rose.

Kelsey facepalmed. "Good grief..."

Serin smirked. "Pedophile!" she sang quietly. "And I told ya he could speak French!" She elbowed Kelsey in the side.

Kelsey's face flushed red. "Knowing how to say 'mademoiselle' -and knowing what it means- does _not_ qualify as being able to speak French." She then muttered something that sounded like French that I probably _didn't_ want to know the translation to.

Tamaki looked back at the girl playing the piano. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about that girl playing the piano," he said. "Do you know her?"

"That's Hina Kamishiro," the girl said, smiling.

"Her name is Hina?"

"Mm-hmm!" the girl replied. "But you'd better not fall in love with her!"

"Why is that?" Tamaki asked.

"You mean he was considering it? !"

Serin smacked me. I should've seen it coming, really.

"Didn't you know? Hina has to move away soon. Her dad just got a new job in Germany, so her family's moving there at the end of the week-"

The music room doors burst open, and Shiro glared at us. "What the heck are you all doing here? ! I want you idiots out of here, now!" he ordered.

Tamaki looked at Shiro, unfazed. He then walked closer, wrapped an arm around Shiro's middle, and slung Shiro over his shoulder.

Shiro glared harder. "What're you doing? ! Put me down! Just let me go! Put me down! Ahhhh!"

Tamaki turned and started walking away. "Come on, it's time to go," he said, his voice flat and monotone. "Quit thrashing," he said to Shiro, who just continued screaming.

Tamaki carried him all the way back to Music Room 3, where he threw him down on a couch. "What is your problem, you big idiot? !"

"I'm sorry, but you're the idiot!" Tamaki shot back.

Shiro blinked at him.

"You said you came to me to learn how to make women happy. But that's not it, is it? You're not concerned with the happiness of just any woman. You've got your sights set on one woman in particular. You only care about one -and that's Hina Kamishiro!"

Shiro's eyes widened.

"But, I'm afraid...there's nothing I can do to help you with that. Listen, Shiro, I know that I told you it's the job of a host to make women happy. But when you care for someone...you must find the courage to express what is in your heart! You have to tell you how you feel about her!" Tamaki exhaled. "You didn't come to me looking to be a full-fledged host. You want to be a full-fledged man."

Shiro looked up at him for a few moments, then hung his head. "It doesn't matter anymore," he said, his voice shaky. "I've run out of time. I just... I wanted to hear her play...before she left for good. ...That's all."

"It _does_ matter."

We looked at Kelsey as she stepped forward.

"It's never too late, Shiro." She sat down on the couch next to him. "There's always time to turn things around. Especially if you care about someone...as much as I suspect you care for Hina."

Tamaki and Shiro looked at her, then Tamaki turned away, walking to the other side of the room.

"That piece she was playing," he said to Shiro. "It was Mozart's 'Sonata in D Major for Two Pianos,' right?"

Shiro stood, following Tamaki with his eyes. Kelsey stood and did the same.

Tamaki came to a large curtain against the wall. He grasped it in his hand, yanking it back. Hidden behind it...was a shining, black grand piano.

"Hey..." Serin said, pointing over at the mysterious musical instrument, "hang on a second... Since when is there a grand piano in here?"

"Why shouldn't it be here?" Hikaru asked.

"This _is_ a music room, after all," Kaoru said.

"It's a music room," Kyoya said.

"It is a music room," Mori said.

"It's always been there. We've just had it covered up," Honey said.

We looked at each other. So like the Host Club to do something like this -have something that actually _belonged_ in a music room, but keep it hidden. Typical.

Tamaki lifted the cover off the keys, smiling down at the ebony and ivory shining up at him. He then sat down on the bench, and raised his hands above the keys.

He swept into the song, going at full-speed, as if he'd been playing all his life.

"He has an actual talent," I said in disbelief.

"Told ya," Serin said.

"Well, not to mention the fact that he's playing Mozart from _memory_."

"Oh, yeah."

Serin and I nodded, looking at Tamaki.

"Awesome," Shiro said quietly.

Then, when she didn't make any comments, Serin and I looked at Kelsey.

She was looking at Tamaki, her eyes wide and a small smile on her face. She looked like she was going to cry. But...happy crying.

"You okay?" I asked.

She sniffled, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped the tear away and looked at us. "I'm sorry, it's just...beautiful."

Tamaki looked at Shiro, never breaking rhythm. "For the next week, you will spend your mornings, lunches, recesses, and free time after school in piano lessons with me."

"But...why?" Shiro asked.

"You wanted to be my apprentice, right?" Tamaki replied, chuckling. "Besides, that young lady looked like she wanted nothing more than to play the piano with you."

"I think someone else has got a touch of that going through her head," Serin said, bumping her hip against Kelsey's.

Kelsey broke from her tearful trance, her mouth hanging open as she looked at Serin. "Uh, say what?"

We all laughed quietly, smiling at each other.

I looked back at Tamaki. I dunno, I thought. If Tamaki-senpai doesn't act like a total idiot and screw things up (seems like he usually does, though...), something -_something_- might happen between these two. Maybe.

**;;;;;**

We all hung around until Shiro went home that evening.

Tamaki rested an elbow on the piano, looking quite tired from trying to teach Shiro the song.

I glanced up from some homework I'd been doing when Kelsey walked by, a glass of water in her hand. I elbowed Serin and pointed. We both smiled when we saw that Kelsey had taken the water to Tamaki.

He thanked her with a sweet smile, as always.

Serin shook her head. "If that isn't what total infatuation looks like, I'm the Queen of England."

**3_3_3_3_3**

Kelsey smiled shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked at the piano, just so she wouldn't have to look Tamaki in the eye (or watch him gratefully drink the water she'd brought him).

Tamaki lowered his glass, looking at her. "Are you alright?"

She glanced at him, laughing softly. "Yes... It's just..." She exhaled, composing herself. "You... You play, beautifully, senpai," she said, smiling at him.

He smiled back. "Thank you. Do you play?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. I-I mean, I did try to teach myself when I was younger...but I never got past 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'."

Tamaki chuckled. "Well, everyone's got to start somewhere." He glanced at her left hand. "I did notice, though... You have calluses on your left fingertips."

Kelsey looked at her hand, almost as if this was new information to her. "Oh, uh... I, um, play the guitar."

Tamaki looked at her, a little surprised. "Really?"

She shrugged. "Sort of a hobby of mine. I-I'm not all that good..."

_I'm sure you're better than you think you are._ That's what he wanted to say to her.

She ran her fingertips over the top of the piano. "I wish I _could_ play the piano, though..."

"Well, it's not all that different from a guitar, when you think about it."

She looked at him. "How so?"

"A guitar has chords that you have to hold down, right?"

She nodded.

"And strings you have to strum? And your hands do two different things at once?"

"Right."

"On a piano, there are strings -on the inside. And there are chords you have to hold down. And your hands play two different chords simultaneously at some points. Two different things coming together to make music. Similar, right?"

Kelsey nodded slowly, thinking. "When you put it that way..."

Tamaki smiled and scooted over on the bench. "Here, sit down."

Kelsey waved her hands in front of her. "Oh, no, really, I- You just went through that whole thing with Shiro, and-"

Tamaki laughed. "Kelsey, I don't mind. I _want_ to show you this."

She looked at him for a moment, then sat down next to him.

"Can you find C?"

"If I remember correctly..." She scanned her eyes over the keys. She then rested her finger on one and pressed down.

"Right," Tamaki said, smiling. "Now a C-chord looks like this..." He put his own hand on a different C, making the chord.

She copied him, both of them playing the chord together.

"Good," he said, smiling again. "Now to play a harmony..." He stood and walked around behind her, leaning around her to show her the chord. "Put your hand there, just like mine."

Her face red, Kelsey did as he said, laying her hand over his for a brief moment. She swallowed, trying to force her heart out of her throat.

Tamaki took his hand back, and smiled as she played the chords together. "See? It's not so hard. You just have to learn the chords and the patterns, just like on the guitar."

Kelsey laughed softly. "Since when did you become a music aficionado, senpai?"

He smiled. "Oh, since I was about eight."

"Not to brag, of course," she said.

He laughed. "Of course."

They both laughed, looking at each other. When they stopped laughing, they both blushed a little, realizing how close their faces were.

Kelsey was the first to look away, clearing her throat. "I, uh... I should be getting home."

"Right, right..." Tamaki said, nodding.

"Thank you, senpai. Very much."

**3_3_3_3_3**

Kelsey scurried away from the piano, bumping into chairs and tables as she made her way over to us. "My plants are probably dying, and I've probably killed another...goldfish. Why do I even have a fish? I hate fish. SoyeahanywayI'llseeyoualltomorrowbye!" And she grabbed her bag and practically ran out of the room.

Serin shook her head. "She's becoming more and more interesting every day."

"Seriously," I agreed.

Tamaki walked over to us, looking at the door Kelsey had just gone through. He blinked in silence for a few moments, his brow furrowed in confusion. "EmiShae, Serin," he said.

"Yes?" I asked.

"'Sup?" Serin asked.

"...Does Kelsey...live alone?" He looked at us.

We looked at each other.

Serin cleared her throat and looked away.

I looked at Tamaki. "Yes, she does."

"What? Why?"

"It's not really our place to say," I said.

"But..." Serin bit her lip. "Let's just say...she didn't really have a choice in the matter."

Tamaki looked back at the door.

"It's not really something she likes to talk about," I added.

Tamaki nodded slowly. "I can certainly understand that," he mused. He turned and went back to the piano.

Serin and I looked at each other, both of us a little worried about Kelsey.

What was _really_ the reason her family had bounced her around so much? To us, she was one of the sweetest, most considerate, caring people we'd ever met. How could she be anything other than that?

**3_3_3_3_3**

Kelsey banged her head against the steering wheel of her car, on the brink of tears.

"Stop it, Kelsey!" she said at herself. "You have got to stop this!"

She was still sitting in the Ouran parking garage, which was now practically empty.

She got out of the car and began pacing around it, still talking to herself. "So Serin was right and he does play the piano, and it was so beautiful that it made you cry, and he talked to you about music and it made sense and it felt like something clicked, but _so what_?" She kicked one of the rear tires as hard as she could. "Stop acting like things are that simple! Things are _never_ that simple! And it doesn't matter if you felt something or not! In this world, he's the prince, and you're the beggar girl. He's a limo, and you're a clunker. He's a cat, and you're a rat. Okay, bad analogy, but still!" She kicked her tire again.

Then she turned and sat down on the ground, leaning against her car. Two tears ran down her face, and she quickly wiped them away.

"Now stop acting like a pathetic idiot and drive yourself home. Your goldfish probably _is_ dead this time."

_The following week..._

Tamaki, true to his word, practiced with Shiro every chance he got. Shiro was improving, that much was clear. And Tamaki was a good teacher. To be able to teach a kid a Mozart sonata in one week, you kinda had to be, as Serin put it.

We tried to ask Kelsey about what had happened with her and Tamaki, but she just kept saying that she'd gotten flustered and her fish needed her. Kelsey _was_ a bit of a flustered person sometimes...especially around Tamaki, and Tamaki didn't seem too put-off about it (I also never heard him ask her about how she lived [translation, why she lived alone]), so we accepted that answer. For now.

When Haruhi returned to the Host Club, we filled her in on all that had happened. She didn't believe us, though, when we told her that Tamaki could really play the piano. So you can imagine how shocked she was when she saw him play. She almost dropped the tea tray she'd been carrying. Good thing she didn't, otherwise Kyoya would've added another one-hundred-thousand yen to her debt.

As I said before, a heartless jerk. Are you still wondering why I decided to hate him? ...Okay, Serin is, but that's just Serin.

Then the day finally came -September 3rd. Right at 3pm, as we'd expected, a little girl poked her head into Music Room 3.

Five of us stood on each side of the door -dressed to the nines for this special guest. We bowed as she came in and greeted her, "Welcome, princess."

She blushed a little, probably wondering what all this was for. After all, the invitation had only told her where to go, at what time, and that it was a "private rehearsal."

Leave it to Kyoya to make things so vague.

Tamaki stepped in front of Hina and bowed. "I present to you Shiro Takaoji's...piano recital." He stepped away, extending his arm towards two grand pianos. Shiro sat at one of them.

Hina blushed again, this time in surprise.

Tamaki now stood at the open piano, pulling the chair in front of it back. "If you please, princess," he said.

Hina looked hesitant.

Shiro smiled at her. "Let's play together, Hina."

She exhaled and smiled. "Okay!" She took her seat at the other piano, and the two began their song.

The three of us nodded and smiled at each other. Tamaki had taught Shiro well. The hosts stood around us, smiling as well.

"We did a good thing," Tamaki said.

"Shiro loves with all his heart," Haruhi said.

Kelsey smiled at Tamaki. "So I guess that's just one more way Shiro takes after you, huh, senpai?"

He smiled back. "Why, yes. I'd say so."

_Another ten days later..._

"So," Haruhi said, "you've been exchanging e-mails with Hina every day now that she's in Germany?"

"Yeah," Shiro replied, "more or less." He grinned. "I like her, but she can get pretty jealous for an elementary school girl. She'd be upset if she knew I was with you ladies, so let's just keep this between us."

The girls around him giggled and squealed.

"Oh, isn't he the cutest?"

"Your girlfried is so lucky!"

"I wish I had a little brother just like him!"

"Ugh, barf," Kelsey said, banging her head on the table we were sitting at.

"Seriously," Serin said, sticking her tongue out.

"What's wrong with the girls at this school?" I wondered aloud.

Kelsey turned her head to look up at me. "Including us?"

I laughed. "Yes, including us."

We all laughed.

"Naughty boys are the best!"

"I could kiss you!"

They did, in fact, kiss him on the cheeks.

Tamaki, meanwhile, stood nearby grumbling and glaring. "You little brat! What're you doing? ! Those are my guests!"

"Heh," Shiro laughed, smirking at Tamaki. "Well, it looks like they found someone they like better. It's _so_ easy to steal your customers."

"Not this one..." Serin sang, elbowing Kelsey yet again.

"Will you stop it? !"

Serin just laughed.

"I think there's a new Host King in town," Shiro continued.

Tamaki screamed, and the twins did their best to hold him down.

"I thought he'd make it through this without exploding this time!" Kaoru said.

"We should've known he'd blow up sooner or later!" Hikaru said.

Kyoya stood nearby...making notes, as always.

"Shiro _does _have a lot in common with Tamaki-senpai," Kelsey said, putting her chin in her hand. "It makes me wonder if he was a spoiled brat when he was a kid, too..."

"I'd believe that," Haruhi said, chuckling.

Tamaki spun to face at us, practically seething. "I was not a spoiled brat! I was nothing like him when I was a kid! I was a sweet, innocent, precocious, adorable child! Do you hear meeeee? !"

The three of us laughed as Shiro grinned.

"Whatever you say, senpai," I said. "Whatever you say."


	10. Going Further

**AHHH! Sorry this update is kinda delayed, everyone! I had finals and registrations and packing and crashing at a friend's house and...yeah, anyway. My first semester of college is OVER and Christmas Break is HERE! A whole MONTH off! Which means ample time to update and write! ^.^ So what's everybody doing for Christmas? Going to see family? Staying home? Hope it's fun, whatever it is!**

**Alright, quick note about this chapter: Emi was telling me about how her daydreams go, and gave me a scenario, and I just HAD to write this chapter xD Other inspiration came partially from **_**Pride & Prejudice**_** (pretty much one of the best books EVER), but I don't know if you'll be able to see that or not... Oh, and the title is just what it is because...well, because the story is moving further, basically! heh *not creative with chapter titles* xD**

**Anywhoo, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! Emi, Scree, here we go...!**

***just realized this is chapter 10* OMIGOSH CHAPTER 10 YAYYYYYY!**

**Okay, go read now.**

**-X. Going Further-**

With Shiro finally out of the Host Club (I believe Kyoya had something to do with it...either that or it was Shiro's girlfriend), things returned to abnormal.

Tamaki was once again king, and Kelsey was back to being her fidgety, somewhat shy self around him. It didn't seem like they'd forgotten what had happened between the two of them that day at the piano, but they weren't speaking about it either. Or about Kelsey's living situation.

The twins were back to their brotherly-loving, and Serin was once again hovering around their table, trying to look inconspicuous. Even though she was being pretty obvious in the process. But I'd never say that to her face. She'd smack me. She even smacked me when I was thinking those things, so it was best that I didn't dwell on my wonderings when it concerned her.

Honey ate his sweets as always, and Mori sat silently observing all the happenings of the Club.

And Kyoya... Well, Kyoya never really changed. He was still scribbling away in his notebook, being the Shadow King, that whole thing.

As for myself...uh... Yeah, nothing much changed for me. Unless you count my curiosity reaching an all-time high. Partially about Kelsey, some about Kelsey and Tamaki, maybe a little more about Serin and Kaoru (if he was, in fact, the reason she was hovering around the twins so much), and -to my somewhat horrific surprise- quite a bit about Kyoya.

Why should I be wondering about him? I thought. I'm pretty sure I said I was going to loathe him forever. Hmm, I wonder if it's illegal to be curious about the people you hate...

Anyway, besides all that, Kelsey, Serin, and I went about our Host Club duties as usual. So it was back to filling teapots, doing dishes, restocking snacks and sweets, you know the drill.

Kelsey and I were back in the kitchen (Don't ask why there was a kitchen connected to a music room -there just was. That's Ouran for you.) doing some dishes and talking about an upcoming quiz in our literature class, just normal things. Then, out of nowhere, Kyoya came in.

"How are the dishes coming, you two?" he asked, not looking at us but at his notebook instead -_again_.

"Working away," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Did he think we were incapable of washing dishes? Maybe.

"Very good, then. Kelsey, I think Serin needs some help out there with some water pitchers. Could you go give her a hand?"

"Sure thing," Kelsey said. She quickly dried her hands on the towel she'd been using to dry dishes with, tugged down on her sleeves (even though they hadn't been rolled up), and made a quick exit back into the music room.

Curses, I thought. Left alone with Kyoya-senpai.

There was silence between us, no sounds except for the _kerplunk_ of plates into the soapy dish water, and the clinking sound they made when I stacked them in the drying rack up against one another. It was the kind of silence I hated -the awkward kind. I kept praying for either Kelsey to come back into the kitchen, Serin to randomly appear, or one of the other hosts to come tell Kyoya to leave me alone and tend to his guests (that he never seemed to be bothered to entertain). Anything that would save me from the silence there in the kitchen. Or, worse, from having to try to make conversation with the Shadow King.

"How long have you known Kelsey?"

I almost jumped at his question, but did my best to keep my feet on the floor, and to remain calm. I shrugged a little. "Pretty much since the beginning of the school year. Why do you ask?"

He shook his head a little, still not looking at me. "Merely curious."

Sure, I thought dryly. Kyoya-senpai is never _merely curious_.

"I've just noticed, as I'm sure you have, that Tamaki seems to have...taken a liking to her."

I glanced at him, then looked back at the plate in my hands. "Don't you think that's his business, then, not yours or mine?" I set the plate in the rack, then reached down to the bottom of the sink to drain the water.

The gurgling of the drain kept us from taking for a few moments.

"Just keeping an eye out for a friend, that's all," he said simply.

I almost laughed, but held it in, thinking he might take it the wrong way. "If you're asking because you're wondering whether or not Kelsey's a good or respectable girl, I can tell you right now that she is both those things and more. And don't ask me how I'm sure. She's the kind of person you don't have to know for long to make out her character and intentions."

Kyoya made a quiet "Hmm," sound, nodding a little.

"And shouldn't you have this information anyway, Mr. Know-It-All?"

What am I doing? I screeched in my head. And where is all this coming from? ...I just called Kyoya-senpai a know-it-all, didn't I?

"While it is true, Miss EmiShae, that I do thorough background checks on everyone who becomes involved with the Host Club, I admit that there are some things about certain...individuals that even my vast resources can not uncover."

Admitting he can't do something? I wondered. Hmm. This is a new twist.

I stepped over to start drying the dishes (since it seemed Serin was having more trouble with those water pitchers than Kyoya had let on -note the sarcasm), and glanced at him. "Are you saying that Kelsey is one of those 'individuals'?" I asked.

"It's irrelevant," he said.

"It's relevant if it concerns my friend," I said. I set the dry dishes on the counter, one atop the other in a neat stack. Their clinking once again helped to ease the tension in the room. Of course, I was saying enough to just bring that tension back.

"But I respect my friends and their privacy. I'm not asking you to tell me anything, but I'm also saying that I'm not going to spill any of my friends' secrets that I may know just because you ask me."

Kyoya still didn't look at me, but he did glance up for a brief moment. "I understand, Miss EmiShae." And he went back to writing.

I sighed, as if annoyed, and went over to fill up some teapots that Kelsey and I had brought in earlier. "You're being unattractive, Mr. Glinty-Glasses. You keep acting like this, and your request rate is going to hit rock-bottom." My voice, surprisingly, was calm, as if I hadn't just called him the name I'd been referring to him as for the past, oh...couple months or so. Not to mention that I'd just mentioned his request rate, which I knew nothing at all about.

My back was now to Kyoya as I filled the teapots, but I didn't need to look to picture the look on his face.

"'Mr. Glinty-Glasses'?" he asked, his voice flat.

Ooh, I thought, kicking myself. Okay, this situation has just bceome even more delicate. I just have to...proceed with caution. Besides, I didn't have to act afraid of him! What could he do to me for giving him a nickname?

...Honestly, I didn't want to think about that.

"Yep," I started. "If you don't like that nickname then I guess I could call you...Mr. I'm-so-cool-you-don't-even-deserve-a-second-glare instead. However, I much prefer Mr. Glinty-Glasses. It's not such a mouthful, suits you perfectly, and is _much_ cuter."

I said in nonchalantly, like I was telling him I liked his hairstyle or something. But, no... Had I just called Kyoya Ohtori -the Shadow King, the guy I'd planned on hating forever-..._cute_?

Ah, I thought, annoyed at myself, I'm just _begging_ for trouble today, aren't I?

Silence filled the kitchen again.

I decided to chance turning around to look at Kyoya. "Kyoya-senpai?"

He was just standing there. He didn't look at me, didn't make any notes... Just stood there, still as a statue.

Uh-oh, I thought. Not good...

"Make sure you refill all the teapots, Miss EmiShae," he said, his voice tight. "We have to keep our guests happy."

I couldn't tell what emotion was in his voice -I couldn't read his face. His eyes were hidden by a glint on his glasses from the lights above. But his cheeks were tinted red, and I assumed it to be tightly controlled anger. His tone definitely seemed cold, so why shouldn't I have assumed he was angry?

Before either of us could say another word, he turned and walked out of the kitchen. His deliberate steps quickly faded from earshot.

I facepalmed. Well, crap, I thought. I've just ticked off the Shadow King. So why don't I feel scared?

Honestly, I'd just made a mental note to snatch his glasses off his face next time we talked so I'd be able to tell what he was thinking. I mean, I may not be a mind-reader, but you can tell a lot about what people are feeling and thinking from their eyes.

So, note to self, I thought, steal Mr. Glinty-Glasses' glasses next time. Even if he wants to kill me after.

I sighed. Guess I just have a knack for making him angry.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Serin didn't believe what EmiShae thought about her hovering -about it being "obvious." Serin thought she was being very subtle.

Really, she thought, is it so hard to believe that I'm over here out of concern for the guests?

You're just digging yourself in deeper here, Serin, she told herself.

In a moment when she'd been able to tear herself away from the twins' table, she went over to a small cart in the corner to refill a water pitcher.

"Serin?"

She almost jumped when she heard that familiar voice say her name. She turned to find Kaoru standing behind her, looking amused, as if he'd noticed her surprise.

"What's up?" Serin asked, willing the slight nervousness out of her voice.

Kaoru raised a hand and scratched the back of his head, shifting his gaze down to the floor. He looked nervous about something -an odd look to see on his or his brother's face. "I, uh... I just wanted to let you know that you're doing a great job. I mean, you always seem so concerned with our table, and... Yeah, just wanted to let you know that." His cheeks tinted light pink, and he smiled a little.

Serin willed her face not to blush, but her cheeks tinted the same color as Kaoru's, if not more red. She tried not to make her smile look _too_ excited. Just play it cool, she told herself.

"Uh, well, yeah, just...y'know, doing my job," she said. "Thanks, Kaoru."

Kaoru looked at her for a moment, a look of slight surprise crossing his face.

"What is it?" Serin asked.

He blinked for a few moments, his brain registering that she'd spoken to him. "Oh, uh, nothing," he said. "Nothing at all." He glanced back over his shoulder, getting rather annoyed vibes from Hikaru. "I should, um, be getting back..."

"Sure," Serin said, nodding.

"See ya," Kaoru said. He turned and shuffled back over to his seat next to his brother.

He sat and thought for a few moments, thinking about what Serin had just said.

_Thanks, Kaoru. Thanks,_ Kaoru.

**;;;;;**

Kyoya had sent Kelsey out to help Serin with those water pitchers, but she didn't make it over there right away.

"Oh, Kelsey," Tamaki said, smiling from where he was sitting with some guests. "I was wondering where you were."

"Oh, hi, Tamaki-senpai," she said shyly, not making eye-contact with the guests.

"Hiding out in the kitchen again, were you?"

She laughed softly. "Working, senpai, not hiding."

Maybe a little of both, she added in her head.

Tamaki looked at his guests, back at Kelsey, then said a quiet, "Excuse me, ladies," to the guests. He stood and walked around the couch to where Kelsey was standing. He gently rested a hand on her arm, leading her away from the group.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She blinked at him for a few moments, unsure as to why he was asking her about this. "Perfectly fine," she said, tugging down on her sleeves. "Why do you ask?"

Tamaki exhaled. "It's just... Last week, after Shiro left-"

She cut him off by waving her hands in front of her, shaking her head. "Oh, that? No, I'm fine! Really! It was nothing you did or anything! I was just, uh..." She wrung her hands nervously. "Plain and simple, I'm just not very good at... That is, what I mean to say... I'm an awkward, kinda clumsy person, so..."

Tamaki nodded. "I think I understand." He gave her a small smile. "Still, I apologize for putting you in an, as you put it, awkward situation."

Kelsey's face flushed slightly. "No apology necessary, senpai," she insisted. She tried to give him a convincing smile. "I should apologize. The way I left was really no way to thank you for telling me about the piano and all that."

He shook his head. "Happy to do it. Just so long as you're alright."

Kelsey looked at him for a few moments, wondering why this handsome blonde, blue-purple-eyed young man was concerned for her well-being. "I'm fine," she said, nodding. "Thank you for your concern."

"And your fish...?"

She laughed a little. "Still swimming about his tank, happy as a clam," she said.

He smiled. "Good."

They looked at each other for a few moments.

Kelsey was the first to speak, once again. "Well, uh, don't let me keep you from your guests, senpai. I should really be getting back to work anyway."

"Of course," he said, nodding. "See you later, Kelsey."

"See you, Tamaki-senpai," she said, then walked away, heading over to the twins' table -where Serin was sure to be.

Sure enough, the two literally bumped into each other, both girls lost in slightly flustered thought.

"Are you alright, Serin?" Kelsey asked. It was sort of a rare occurence to see Serin flustered, so Kelsey was a little concerned.

"Fine. You?"

"Fine."

"Good."

The girls looked up when they saw Kyoya coming out of the kitchen and crossing the music room with quick, deliberate steps.

"Geez," Serin said. "Emi was in the kitchen with him, right?"

Kelsey nodded. "Yep."

"Wonder what she did to him."

Kelsey just shook her head, but she watched Kyoya. Yes, there was something off about him, but...

She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a small, pleased smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

But, wherever Kyoya was concerned, it was never right to assume.


	11. Whisked Away

**EMI! SCREE! *falls to ground in shame* My dear friends, I did not forget about you! I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been working on future chapters of this story (I believe I'm on thirteen now...?) as well as working very hard on a few new stories, and I completely lost track of time! *headdesk* Please forgive me! *sad chibi; wavy arms; teary eyes* I shall work harder on updating more regularly. Break totally threw me for a loop T.T**

**Um...yeah, so...**

**Thanks to all of you who've reviewed and who are reading. It means so much to hear what you think of it (and every one of you knows how to make me smile and laugh with your observations and reactions ^.^)**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! More coming soon! Okay, Emi, Scree...let's do this.**

**-XI. Whisked Away-**

I groaned, slumping forward as I walked. "I think I totally flunked that quiz."

"I bet you didn't," Kelsey said, giving me a reassuring smile. "I sometimes get that feeling after a quiz, and then I find out I worried for nothing!"

"Easy for you to say," Serin said, rolling her eyes. "You're practically a genius."

"Am not..." Kelsey said, her cheeks tinting pink as she pushed up her glasses.

"It's not like she's the only one who's that way," Haruhi said. "I can be the same way sometimes."

"You're practically a genius, too, Haruhi," I said.

"So, in short, there's no hope for you, EmiShae," Serin said, grinning.

I sighed. "Thanks for the encouragement, Serin."

I stopped walking when she didn't laugh, or thank me for my sarcastic compliment.

Kelsey and Haruhi stopped, too.

We all turned around.

Serin was gone.

"What the heck?" Haruhi wondered aloud.

"Wait, where'd she-" Kelsey's question was cut off, and we turned to find her gone as well!

"What the heck is going on here? !" I practically yelled. "Haruhi, where-"

Now Haruhi had disappeared!

Okay, I thought. No need to freak out. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this... I'm going nuts. Yeah, that's gotta be it. Oh, I wish Serin would smack me and tell me I'm wrong! And that I'm being paranoid!

"Serin? Kelsey? Haruhi? Where are you-"

A hand slapped over my mouth, an arm wrapped around me, and I was yanked out of the courtyard. I struggled against whoever was holding me, but it was no use. Next thing I knew, I was being shoved into the backseat of a black car.

Crap, I thought. Crap, crap, crap. I'm gonna die. I'm being kidnapped! Now is the perfect time to freak out, so that's what I'm going to do! I'm gonna freak out because I'm being kidnapped and-

I felt a familiar smack on the back of my head.

"Serin!" I turned and tackled her, not even taking time to acknowledge my hurt head.

"You blonde," Serin said. "I can tell you're freaking out, but there's no need to."

I saw that Kelsey and Haruhi were there as well. Haruhi looked somewhat bored, and Kelsey had her arms crossed over her chest, and an angry pout on her face.

"I swear," Kelsey muttered. "When I get my hands on them, I'm gonna..."

"On who?" I asked.

"Who else?" Haruhi said flatly.

A pair of evil chuckles reached my ears, and I wanted to facepalm. And punch someone.

"Targets..." "...captured."

"You didn't have to be so forceful!" Haruhi shouted.

"When I get out of here, you are dead men, do you hear me? !" Kelsey yelled.

"I'm gonna kill them..." I said.

"Oh, come on, you guys," Serin said, her usual calm, collected self. She even smirked. "Knowing the twins, they're taking us somewhere fun. And, also knowing the twins, this was probably all Tamaki-senpai's idea."

Kelsey's pout returned, now paired with a glare. "Then he's next on my list."

"Oh, you don't even know where we're going," Serin said. She elbowed Kelsey in the side, grinning. "Bet you won't want to kill him once we get there..."

"Somehow," Kelsey said, "the odds of that seem...unlikely."

**;;;;;**

Okay, so, to recap, the four of had _not_ been kidnapped, as I'd originally feared. Well, we had been, but not my kidnappers, per se.

Hikaru and Kaoru had "captured" us (on Tamaki's orders, as Serin had predicted), taken us from Ouran, and to what seemed to be...a mystery location. Once we'd arrived, we'd been shoved into separate rooms, and told to change. And what were we to change into? Of all things, swimsuits. Weird, right?

I'll bet anything Kyoya-senpai's in on this, too, I thought, now more annoyed than afraid. Tamaki-senpai may be smart, but Kyoya-senpai's the real brains behind all these things. Must be why they're friends; I can't see any other reason why.

"Someone wanna tell us where we are?" Haruhi asked, now that we'd all changed.

Serin, Kelsey, and I were in bikinis, but... Well, Haruhi was wearing long shorts and a yellow short-sleeved hoodie. And Kelsey was wearing a long-sleeved shirt over her swimsuit. Yeah, I don't know either.

"Ladies, so glad you could join us."

Who can call it! I thought, glaring in Kyoya's direction.

"Didn't have much of a choice in the matter," Kelsey murmured.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I would like to welcome you all to the Ohtori Group's Tropical Aqua Garden."

Floodlights snapped on, blinding us for a moment. When our eyes adjusted, we found ourselves in a veritable tropical locale. There was real sand, lots of trees and other foliage (complete with animal noises coming from them), lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas, and...water slides?

"Behold, young ladies!"

Even Kelsey gave Tamaki a look. I mean, his hand _was_ on her shoulder. She wasn't even blushing. Even though he was shirtless. (Actually, all the hosts except Kyoya were. No, I'm not complaining. Why would I be complaining? Why are you even asking me? ! ...Anyway.)

"Bask in the beauty of tropical birds." He pointed up to some nearby trees, where a parrot-looking bird was perched. "Aren't they breathtaking? I wonder what they're called..."

"They're called animatronicus fakeius," Kelsey said.

"Really?" I asked, my eyes wide.

Serin smacked me. "She means they're fake, dummy."

"I knew that!" I snapped, rubbing my head.

"Um...where was the exit again?" Haruhi asked.

So it seemed we'd been taken to a resort that Kyoya's family ran. Great. This was supposed to be fun?

...Okay, so maybe I _did_ want to try out the water slide, but I wasn't going to admit it out loud.

Tamaki sat back in a lounge chair, swirling a cup of something in his hand. "Just sit back and relax!" he said. "Make the most of this time off! We're always so worried about keeping our good looks day and night. It's about time we got a day off."

We rolled our eyes.

"Personally," Haruhi said, "I'd rather be at home."

"Ditto," Kelsey said.

"Can't say I disagree with you guys," I said.

No reply from Serin.

"Huh? Serin, wha-" I turned around and facepalmed.

Serin was already in the nearest pool, playing with a beach ball with the twins. Honey and Mori were nearby.

We sighed.

"Well, now we'll never leave," Kelsey said.

I nodded. "So...what exactly _is_ this place?" I asked to no one in particular.

But, of course, _someone_ in particular answered.

"This is a new resort my family, the Ohtori Group, runs."

I shook my head. "I thought your family ran hospitals and stuff," I said.

"Yes, Miss EmiShae, but my family like to diversify and try new things."

Or, in layman's terms, get a part in every type of business, I thought.

"Besides, this place _could_ be classified as a healing facility," he continued.

"Not to some," Kelsey said under her breath.

She seemed especially uptight since we'd found out where we were. What was up with her?

"It's theraputic," Kyoya insisted. "Think of all the people who are overworked and would love a tropical vacation. However, they may not be able to get the time off, or they may not be able to afford it. Those people can now seek refuge here at this theme park to reduce their stress levels." Kyoya smiled, adjusting his glasses. "The Ohtori's Group's primary concern has always been for the good health and wellbeing of the general public."

"Sounds suspcious to me," Haruhi whispered.

Kelsey and I nodded.

Apparently, Kyoya wasn't done talking. Joy.

"The park doesn't officially open for a few more weeks, but the Host Club was given a special advance invitation."

Lucky us, I thought dryly. I began wondering how I was going to convince Serin that we had to leave, while ignoring Tamaki, who was spouting something about this being a retreat for handsome young soldiers.

My plotting was interrupted when someone clamped onto my arm.

"Emi-chan!" Honey cried happily. "You wanna have some coconut juice with me? Or have some mango cake?"

I blinked at the small young man (who was older than me). He was wearing yellow and blue swim trunks, a pink flower bracelet on his wrist, and a pink bunny floaty around his waist.

"Uh...sure," I said. "I'll have some coconut juice with you." Guess I'll let Serin have a little bit of fun, I thought.

Haruhi stood nearby, looking off at a bird flying overhead (which Mori was also looking at). How does Kelsey know they're fake? I wondered.

Speaking of, Kelsey was farthest away, sitting at the edge of one of the pools with her feet in the water. She was still wearing her long-sleeved shirt (not to mention her glasses). She gently kicked at the water, ripples spreading out from her legs.

Wonder why she seems so upset, I thought. Shouldn't I go ask her?

Before I could even move to get up, the twins and Serin came over. Hikaru, for some reason, was eating a banana.

"Hey, Haruhi! Kelsey! Emi! You wanna try out the water slide with us?" Kaoru asked.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes at Haruhi, then looked at Kelsey. "Hang on, what's the deal with the hoodie and the shirt?"

Kelsey blushed and turned away.

Haruhi sighed and looked down at the yellow pullover. "Uh..."

"Does this mean you're not going to swim?" Hikaru asked, swallowing his last bite and tossing away the banana peel.

"You _do_ swim, don't you?" Kaoru asked.

"Of course," Kelsey said. She shrugged. "I just don't feel like it today. I'm perfectly fine just sitting over here."

"And I can swim just as good as the next person," Haruhi claimed. "This just isn't my idea of fun. I don't really go for this whole water park thing. We're just gonna spend the whole day goofing off. Honestly, I'd rather be at home."

"Besides," Kelsey said, "all you really need to play in the water is a plastic pool."

The twins looked at each other, confused looks on their faces. "Plastic pool?" they asked. "What's that?"

Seriously? I wondered. And they think _we're_ out of touch?

"Well, they're about this big," Kelsey said, spreading her arms to show the size.

"And you have to pump it full of air to use it," Haruhi added.

"You dunces," Hikaru said.

"That's an inflatable boat, dummies," Kaoru said.

"There's no way something that small could be used as a pool."

"Yeah."

"Guys, it's a small pool," I said.

"Haven't you ever seen little kids playing in one?" Serin asked.

Suddenly, Tamaki jumped up and wrapped an arm around each of the twins' necks with a "Cm'here!" He pulled them away, and they formed a small circle, whispering.

But we could hear most of their conversation.

"You idiots! If they say it's a pool, then it's a pool!" Tamaki scolded. "Got it? ! Don't go embarrassing her- them! They can't help that they're ignorant commoners!"

"So...are we supposed to lie to them?" the twins asked. "Is that what you want?"

"I can't help but think we should be offended by that," Haruhi said.

We nodded.

I sat back in my chair, sucking some coconut juice into my straw. Honestly, I thought, they say _we're_ dumb? We've really gotta give these guys some lessons on the real world. And soon.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"Never mind that," Hikaru said, looking questioningly at Tamaki. "We've got a question for ya."

Kaoru leaned closer to Tamaki. "We get the feeling you had something to do with that yellow monstrosity Haruhi's wearing, not to mention Kelsey's shirt."

"We thought for sure you would've been all like, 'I wanna see Kelsey in a swimsuit!'," Hikaru said, doing a very poor impression of Tamaki's whiny voice. "To make no mention of Haruhi.

The twins didn't give Tamaki a chance to explain that he _had_ made Haruhi cover up, but that Kelsey had done so of her own accord.

"Making them cover up like that..." "...it was surprising."

"I know what he's up to!" they said together. "He made them cover up because he didn't want anyone else to see her in a bathing suit! Do you really think that's it? He must be one of those jealous pervert types!"

Tamaki cleared his throat, blushing. "Th-That's not it at all!" He began waving his hands frantically while he came up with an explanation. "I was just trying to...protect their innocence as any father or friend or whatever would! After all, even if they are wearing swimsuits, it's not decent for ladies to walk around half-naked in front of boys and-"

"You know I can hear you, right?"

Tamaki stopped and slowly turned, seeing that Kelsey was giving him a look. He gulped and turned back to the twins.

"So you're saying it's alright for EmiShae and Serin to dress that way?" Hikaru asked, pointing over at the other two girls.

Tamaki glanced over at them. "Yeah. That's okay," he said calmly.

The twins stared at him.

"But why?" Kaoru asked.

"Uh... Because, um..."

The twins grinned, their victory won.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"Haru-chan!" Honey sang. "You wanna go swimming in the current pool with me?"

Haruhi exhaled. "Nah, I'm not gonna swim today. I- Hold on." She looked at Honey. "Honey-senpai, you can swim, can't you? Do you really still need that floaty?"

"Mm-mm!" Honey said, shaking his head. "Just looks cuter this way, y'know?" He giggled and ran off to the current pool, Mori close behind.

"Yeah, he really _is_ cute," Serin said.

"He's so innocent," the twins said.

Kelsey laughed once and we all looked at her.

She looked at us, as if wondering why we looked confused. "Really? Come on, people! How blind are you?" She got up and walked over to us. She adjusted her glasses. "Listen up. Renge's lessons obviously haven't been getting to you."

"And they have to you?" Serin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kelsey shrugged. "I retain information well whether I want to or not."

"It's a gift," I said.

"And a curse," she replied. "Anyway, you obviously need help understanding Honey-senpai's hidden motives. Look." She pointed at Honey, who was jumping into the current pool, giggling like crazy.

"What are you talking about?" Tamaki asked.

"Think about what he just said to Haruhi."

_"Just looks cuter this way, y'know?"_

Kelsey chuckled. "He's not being as sweet and innocent as you seem to think."

"I agree," Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses.

Kyoya-senpai agreeing with a commoner? I thought in mock horror. The scandal!

"Try putting the word 'I' at the beginning of that sentence."

We all thought.

_"Just looks cuter this way, y'know? ...I look cute!"_

"He planned that? !" we asked incredulously.

Kelsey shrugged. "That's Haninozuka for you! A few chapters ago, his position as the Lolita Type was threatened by Shiro, so he's clearly started taking steps to keep his rank!" She smiled, fixing her glasses again. "I've gotta give him credit. He's smarter than I thought."

"Hey, look at this, everybody!"

We looked over towards the current pool.

Honey was sitting atop Mori's back. Mori was swimming into the current, and the two were almost stationary.

"Even though we're swimming really, really fast, we never get any further than we already are!" Honey giggled.

"So what's up with him?" Tamaki wondered aloud.

"Could he really be that smart?" I asked.

Kelsey just smiled, folding her arms over her chest.

"I seem to recall that you once told us you could read people," Serin said. "I definitely believe it now."

"Me, too," I said, nodding.

Kelsey laughed a little, shrugging.

"So...is _your_ semi-innocence fake, too?"

"Huh?" Kelsey asked, tilting her head at Serin's question.

Serin smiled and shook her head. "Never mind."

We looked up when we heard a pumping sound.

Tamaki looked up, too -just in time to get a face full of water, courtesy of a water gun Hikaru was holding.

Hikaru laughed. "I gotcha!"

Kelsey shook her head and handed Tamaki a towel, which he blindly took and started drying his face with.

"Come on, boss," Kaoru said, pumping his own water gun, "let's have a water gun fight!"

"It'll be us against you," Hikaru said. "If you get it in the face, you lose. What d'ya say?"

"Forget it," Tamaki said. "Why would I want to subject myself to something as childish as that?"

Hikaru and Kaoru grinned, and I immediately started worrying again.

Kaoru zoomed over to Serin, and Hikaru stepped over to Kelsey.

"Serin, will you marry me?"

Serin's face turned bright red.

"Kelsey, you'll make me the happiest man alive if you agree to be my wife."

Kelsey blushed, but mostly had this "Seriously?" look on her face. The mix was enough to make me burst out laughing.

And it was all enough to make Tamaki grab a water gun of his own. He began pumping it furiously, muttering to himself. "Do you really think I'd allow you guys to marry Serin and Kelsey? I say NO!" He turned and fired, the twins dodging his attack.

"That's more like it!" they said happily, scooping up their guns.

"Well, that was weird," Kelsey said.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me," Haruhi said.

"Same here," I said, shrugging into a short-sleeved sweatshirt/cover-up type thing.

We looked at Serin. Her face was still red, and she sort of looked like she was in a daze. She held a similar-looking cover-up in her hands, and was gripping it so hard, I thought she would tear it.

I grinned. Finally! I thought. A chance for revenge!

I sidled over to her, my hand raised and ready for the perfect back-of-the-head smack. Revenge was in sight! But, alas...

"Emi, I'll Sparta-kick you from the top of the water slide."

I slumped to the ground, defeated. "I hate you, y'know that?"

Serin giggled. "Aw, I love you, too, Emi."

Kelsey and Haruhi laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

Meanwhile, Mori had left the wave pool, leaving Honey to swim against the current on his own. He took a seat by Kyoya. And Tamaki and the twins were still going at it, shooting each other with their water guns.

At one point, the twins held up shields to deflect Tamaki's attack.

"That's cheating!" Tamaki cried. As he jumped to get a better shot, he landed on...Hikaru's banana peel? ! Well, regardless, it caused him to slip -right into us.

I'm not even sure how it happened, because it all happened so fast, but, somehow, Tamaki's slip managed to scatter us around in the nearby jungle areas.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Serin felt someone collide with her, but only saw a flash of red hair before they went tumbling into the forest.

She felt her hand smack against something that felt like a tree, and a soft whimper of pain escaped her lips and she slumped to the ground.

"Serin?" a familiar voice asked. Hurried footsteps approached her. "Serin!"

She looked up to see Kaoru kneeling in front of her, and almost forgot about the throbbing in her hand.

"Are you okay?" Kaoru asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Kaoru," Serin assured, rubbing her now bright red hand. "I just whacked my hand. How 'bout you?"

"My head hurts a little, but I think I'll live," he said.

Serin nodded, glad that he wasn't hurt.

Kaoru glanced around, as did Serin. They couldn't see or hear anyone else. It seemed that they were alone.

And just as they both realized this, everything went dark.

**;;;;;**

Tamaki smacked into Kelsey with an "Oof!", and they tumbled head-over-heels off into the jungle.

When they finally came to a stop, Tamaki landed on top of Kelsey. They both lay there for a moment, trying to remember which direction was up. When they realized their awkward position, they both blushed.

Tamaki jumped up and off of her. "I'm so sorry, Kelsey! Are you hurt?"

She sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "Not severely," she said, setting her glasses back correctly on her nose. "I don't think."

Tamaki got to his feet. "Can you stand?" He extended his hand down to her.

"I'll try," Kelsey said. She took Tamaki's hand and got herself to her feet. She winced when she put weight on her left foot.

"What is it?" Tamaki asked nervously.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "I think my ankle just got twisted. I'll be fine. I've had much worse." She looked around. "We should just focus on finding our way out of here, and getting back to the others."

"Okay," Tamaki said, nodding.

Kelsey nodded back, then took two steps in the direction she figured was the way they'd come. The moment she stepped on her left foot, an irepressible cry of pain escaped her lips, and she lost her footing.

Tamaki caught her before she hit the ground (again). "Are you sure you're alright?"

Kelsey's ankle was really hurting her, but she didn't want a repeat of the Renge Episode. Meaning, she didn't want Tamaki to carry her. "I'm fine," she assured. "I can hop around on a bum ankle. I'll live."

She looked up and noticed that Tamaki was still holding her.

They looked at each other for a few long moments, their faces turning red again.

Then, before either of them could speak or move, every light in the place went off.

Which caused Kelsey to flail in fear and knock Tamaki back to the ground, her on top of him.

**3_3_3_3_3**

I landed hard, dropping down on top of someone. My head hurt, and my left arm, but I seemed to be in one piece. I groaned and rubbed my head. "Ow..."

"Are you alright?" The speaker had seemingly asked out of obligation, not out of real concern.

I immediately knew who it was.

I snapped my head up and found that I was right. I was laying on top of Kyoya, our faces only inches apart.

Before I could even think of jumping up, all the lights shut off with a _shoom_ sound.

And, just like that, I found myself lost in a fake jungle during a fake night...with the one person I hated most. I could only hope that everyone else had gotten lost with someone better. Heck, anyone was better than Kyoya.

Why me? I thought. Why, _why_ me?


	12. Divided and Lost

**Alright, it's update time! I've been working hard on future chapters of this story, and just started chapter 16 last night! Just a heads-up -BIG things coming in the next two chapters. Gah, this chapter and the next two seem SO LONG... But they are VERY important. Anywhoo, hope you like this chapter, and the ones to come! I shall be updating again, soon!**

**Thank you to EVERYONE who's reading and reviewing! It all means so much! I love reading your reviews -they make me so happy and keep me laughing for days and days. You all are so wonderful! COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! :D hahaha**

**Emi, Scree, I just have to tell you this really quick: I was in this thrift store today with my mom and brother (where I found this GORGEOUS black velvet vintage Macy's dress, but that's beside the point), and I went over to look at the shoes. I found a pair of tap shoes, and it made me think of you, Scree, which then made me think of you, Emi, and then I thought, OMIGOSH I need to update! ...So that's why I'm updating right now because I had to tell you! xD**

**Okie-dokie, I've held you all in suspense long enough! Let's get this show- er, chapter on the road!**

**-XII. Divided and Lost-**

"Great." Kyoya snapped his phone shut. "No cell service."

"Wonderful," I said dryly.

"Looks like we'll have to figure our own way out of here."

"Mm-hmm," I said, nodding. "So where should we start?"

We blinked at each other for several long seconds.

Kyoya was the first to look away. He looked down at his watch, a small green light glowing up from it. "Well, first, we should probably find some cover."

"What?" I asked.

"If I'm remembering correctly, it's about time for the squall."

As if on cue, I heard the sound of distant thunder, and water started raining down on us.

I sighed heavily, standing. "Your family builds a tropical resort place and they make it _pour rain_? How is _that_ relaxing? ! Not to mention having the lights cut out!"

He didn't reply, but instead opened a small notebook and jotted something down.

I huffed out a breath, exasperated, and headed off to find some shelter from the fake rain.

Yeah, I thought, annoyed. I'm _really_ relaxed right now.

Kyoya followed me without a word.

After two minutes of walking (and getting drenched to the bone), we stumbled upon a small, covered sitting area. It looked like it was meant to be some sort of hut, but I didn't care as long as it got us out of the rain.

I plopped myself down on a bench, wringing water from my blonde hair.

Kyoya stood on the other side, pushing buttons on his phone again.

Does he really think it's going to work just because we're under cover now? I wondered. I wouldn't put it past him, really.

I exhaled quietly and put my chin in my hands, resting my elbows on my thighs. Sure hope Serin and Kelsey and everyone else is alright.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"I swear," Serin muttered, flicking fake rain water off her sandaled feet. "When I find Kyoya-senpai, I'm gonna..." She made strange movements with her hands that were probably supposed to look like she was strangling an imaginary Kyoya, but ended up looking like a bizarre new form of sign language.

Kaoru laughed softly. "It's just a little rain," he said.

"This is a monsoon," she said, wiping her wet bangs out of her face. "And we'd better find cover before it washes us away."

"Right," Kaoru said, still smiling.

The two walked through the jungle until they happened upon a small covering. It looked like a thatched bus stop or something. As if a bus was really going to happen by or something.

"Works for me," Serin said, sitting down on the bench.

Kaoru sat next to her, leaning foward, his chin in his hand.

Serin looked at him. "Think we'll find them?"

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course we will. I mean, how big can this place-?"

He stopped when he saw Serin was pointing at a directory (an incomplete, useless one) hanging behind them. Serin shook her head.

"O-kay..." Kaoru said. "Well...if know Hikaru -and I'm pretty sure I do-, he's probably freaking out and wondering what happened, so we'll probably hear him come along any minute now. Just wait and see."

The silence that followed was interrupted only by the rain pounding on the roof over their heads, and the occasional call from a random jungle inhabitant.

"Hikaru worries that much, huh?"

Kaoru laughed softly. "He can't really help it. Being twins, of course we're attached to each other. We've never really needed anyone else, so when we get separated, he freaks out. Even if it's just for a few minutes. He's getting better about it, but I can tell it still bothers him."

Serin blinked at him for a moment. "You mean you never had any other friends or anything?"

"Not until we met Haruhi and you three," he replied with a smile.

Serin blushed a little, smiling back. "Well, then I guess we can just hope that Hikaru's coping alright."

"Oh, he's a big boy. I'm sure he's fine."

_Meanwhile, somewhere in another part of the jungle..._

"KAORUUUUU! WHERE ARE YOU? ! KAORU!"

"Hikaru, would you shut up! With our luck, there's probably some jungle monster out here!"

_And, in yet another part of the jungle..._

"Takashi, where'd everybody go?"

"Mm."

**;;;;;**

"Sorry about that," Kelsey said, adjsuting her glasses nervously. "I mean, freaking out before."

Tamaki chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I would've had the same reaction, but you beat me to it!"

She laughed, and he smiled.

They both looked up at the same time, feeling a drop on their heads.

"Rain?" Kelsey wondered aloud. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Guess that's Kyoya for you..." Tamaki said. "His family's always striving for authenticity and such."

Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Perfect. We better find some shelter before it starts..."

They were drenched two seconds later.

"...dumping on us." She sighed.

So they started walking. It was slow going because of Kelsey's ankle, but, a few minutes later, they managed to take cover under a large tree. It didn't keep all the rain out, but it kept them mostly dry (aside from the fact that they were already soaked), so they weren't complaining.

"How's your ankle?" Tamaki asked.

"Throbbing a little, but I'll live," Kelsey replied, taking her glasses off and flicking water off of them.

"I really am sorry."

She smiled at him, putting her glasses back on. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I mean, who could've known that Hikaru randomly tossing that banana peel would lead to us all getting lost in this fake-but-real-looking jungle?"

"It _is_ a rather strange coincidence," he said, laughing. "Regardless, I still feel bad that you got hurt."

Kelsey shook her head. "Never mind me. I'll be alright. We'll just wait for this to pass, and then we'll go back to finding the others."

Tamaki looked at her for a moment. "It hurts more than you're letting on, isn't it?"

She snapped her head up to look at him, a mix of fear and wonderment in her eyes.

"Your ankle, I mean."

"Oh," she exhaled, almost in relief. "Um, uh, well..." Her face was starting to turn red.

"I'm no doctor, but let me see it."

Before Kelsey could argue, Tamaki had shifted down to kneel near her feet. Her face was even more red now. She bit her tongue, trying to focus on anything but Tamaki.

Tamaki gently lifted her left foot, softly running his fingers over her ankle. It looked a little red, and like it was starting to swell up. "Okay, you're not walking on this anymore."

Kelsey's eyes widened. "Wh-What? N-No, I'm fine, Tamaki-senpai! There's no need for-"

"I just don't want you hurting any more than you already are."

She stopped her protest and looked at him, slight amazement filling her eyes.

"No one needs anymore pain, and you least of all, I think."

Suddenly, the small brunette felt like crying.

Tamaki noticed her changed expression. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No!" she said quickly. "No, I-I'm sorry... You're right. ...And it sort of is hurting."

Tamaki gave her a small smile, and sat next to her again. "Just wait and see. Everything will be okay."

Kelsey looked off into the jungle, thinking.

_"Did I say something wrong?"_

Oh, Tamaki, she thought. If only you knew that what you said was the exact opposite of wrong. If only you knew how _right_ it was.

Tamaki looked at her as the silence grew longer. He looked at the way her brown, blonde-highlighted hair curled around her face as water slowly dried from it. He looked at her blue-green eyes as they moved about, taking in the scene around them.

There were so many things he wanted to ask her -some serious, some not-so-serious things. Some things that people say they don't want to talk about, but are secretly happy when someone shows interest or concern for them. Other things that people think are trivial and don't want to bother talking about.

He wanted to ask why she lived alone. He wanted to know why she kept a fish if she didn't like them. He wanted to ask about her guitar and why she'd started playing. He wanted to ask why she seemed so shy sometimes, but really wasn't. Why she became so self-conscious when someone complimented her on how she looked or something she did well. He wanted to ask why she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt over her swimsuit. Where did she come from? Who was she?

Yes, these questions and many more were running through Tamaki's mind as he looked at this girl that had seemingly just appeared in his life almost two months before. But only question made it through his mouth.

"How do you think the rest of our group is fairing?"

Kelsey chuckled. "Well, if Emi had the luck of landing with Kyoya-senpai... I can only imagine that they've killed each other by now."

Tamaki laughed. "Yes, they really don't seem to get along, do they?"

"As well as cats and dogs," I said.

Tamaki blinked at her, somewhat unfamiliar with this "commoner expression."

"They're like oil and water...?"

Still no recognition.

Kelsey exhaled. What was an expression he could relate to...? She looked at him. "...Like two like poles on a magnet?"

Now he looked even more confused.

"Y'know, like when you stick two north poles together and...?" Kelsey facepalmed. "In other words...no, they don't get really along."

"Oh." Tamaki nodded, wondering what she'd meant by all that.

Hope they're all okay, Kelsey thought. I'm sure Serin's alright, no matter who she's with. I just hope no one ended up alone. And if Emi _did_ end up with Kyoya-senpai...I can only hope they haven't torn each other to bits by now.

Knowing Emi, she's probably being mean to him because he isn't lifting a finger to get us found.

**1_1_1_1_1**

"So, genius," I said. "What's your plan on getting out of here and finding everyone, assuming they're as lost as we are?"

Kyoya sighed in reply, obviously annoyed with me. "I _had_ been planning on calling my private police to find us all, but it seems my cell phone isn't working."

"I could already tell that much," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "But are you saying that we're just going to sit here stuck until someone comes and looks for us?"

"What would you have me do, Miss EmiShae?"

I kept my jaw from dropping -but just barely. Seriously? I wondered. Has this guy never been lost in a store or anything? I shook my head and stood.

"Look, I'm not some prissy rich girl -heck, none of us girls are-, and I'll apologize in advance for that. Just in case I 'offend' you or anything. I have patience and sometimes grace when the moment calls for it, but this isn't one of those times. Now I've got a plan for _trying_ to get out of here. You can help me out, or I'll go out and try it and you can wait here to be rescued. What'll it be, Kyoya-senpai?"

He looked at me for a moment, then looked away, water flicking off his bangs. "I suppose anything's better than just sitting here."

I nodded. "Good. So we just have to wait until the rain stops."

He looked at his watch. "There should be about five more minutes of rainfall."

I nodded again. "Okay."

I listened to the rain falling for a few minutes.

"Do you think they're alright?"

"Who?" Kyoya asked.

"Everyone else," I said, wondering why I had asked that question aloud, especially with Kyoya around.

Kyoya inhaled, then leaned against the wall behind him. More water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders. (Not like I was paying that much attention or anything...) "If I know our club, and I'm sure I -more than anyone else- do, they're all fine. With the possible exception of Hikaru if he and Kaoru got separated. And Haruhi if she's stuck with Hikaru. And then there's Tamaki to consider. He's an idiot on a good day, but lost in a jungle, he's probably hopeless."

I laughed softly and quickly tried to cover it up. (I was sure he'd heard.) I wasn't going to start laughing at the things Kyoya said.

"Interesting."

"What?" he asked.

"What you just said. You said, 'If I know _our_ club...'" I looked at him.

He snapped his head away. "I can't really call it mine, now can I? You girls are a part of it after all. It doesn't matter how you came to be a part of it, just that you did. That's what makes it your club, too. Commoner help though you may be."

Kyoya Ohtori, you moment-killer, I thought, wanting to shake my head. "Either way, I suppose I should thank you for including the three of us in that statement. We may have different or maybe not-so-obvious ways of showing appreciation and happiness, and we may complain at times, but we're happy to help out at the Club."

Despite some of the people we have to associate with, I added in my head.

Kyoya nodded. "I have to admit that I don't quite understand, Miss EmiShae, but I suppose I should thank you as well."

I noticed that neither of us actually said, "Thank you." We just said, "I suppose I should thank you." Meaning, what we were thinking was something along the lines of, _I should thank you, but I won't. Because I hate you._

Despite anything that happens today, or has happened, I thought, nothing is going to be different between us. I still loathe him, and I always will. Even if he has a brief moment of civility or humanity, it can't change my view of him.

Call me stubborn, but it's how I felt.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Serin thought she heard someone screaming in the distance, and a shiver ran up her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself loosely, as if this would scare away the shivers.

"Something wrong, Serin?" Kaoru asked.

Serin shook her head, trying to smile genuinely. "Just...thought I heard something." She looked around. "Think there're any kind of...creatures out here?"

"Hmm," Kaoru said, thinking. "I don't know. But I wouldn't put it past Kyoya's family to do something like that."

That makes me feel _loads_ better, Serin thought sarcastically.

Kaoru smiled at her. "Not like there's any reason to be afraid, though. I'm sure we can outrun anything that's out here."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

Kaoru was about to reply when something that sounded like a roar reached their ears.

"What the...?" Serin stood.

Kaoru stood as well. "Was that a-?"

They both jumped at the sound of rustling branches, and turned to see what was making the noise. Their hearts were in their throats, and were taking shallow breaths, as if they were afraid whatever was making the noise would hear their inhales and exhales.

A green, scaly form crawled into view, and they both screamed, jumping at least four feet in the air. They grabbed onto each other, still screaming, then took off running into the jungle.

The chameleon, meanwhile, flicked its eyes around, watching the two teenagers flee. It looked up as the rain stopped, the lights slowly came back on, and a fly flitted past. The lizard shot its tongue out, sticking it to the fly, then snapped it back into its mouth. It chewed the fly for a moment, then swallowed, a strangely pleased look on its face.

Meanwhile, Serin and Kaoru were still in the process of escaping from the great lizard (chameleon). While they were running, Kaoru slipped on some wet leaves, and knocked into Serin. The two flew off the path and rolled down a hill, landing with a thud in a small clearing.

"This whole falling thing is getting _so_ old," Serin said, sitting up and shaking her head.

"You're telling me," Kaoru said, looking around. "_Now_ where are we?"

They both stood, taking in their (somewhat) new surroundings.

"Now we're even more lost!" Serin groaned.

"Let's see..." Kaoru said. "I'm thinking we should be able to find a way out if we-"

"KAAAOOORRRUUU!"

Serin looked in time to see Kaoru get tackled to the ground -by Hikaru!

"Kaoru! Are you alright? ! Are you hurt? !"

"I'm fine," Kaoru said, pushing his brother off him.

"Hikaru?" Haruhi pushed her way through the trees and into the clearning. "Hey, Serin," she said.

"Hey, you guys are okay!"

"Sorta," Haruhi said, glaring at Hikaru. "He wouldn't stop screaming until we found Kaoru."

"Ah," Serin said, nodding. "I see."

They both looked at the twins, who were now hugging, so glad to be together again.

"Well, he looks happy enough now."

Haruhi nodded. "Hate to break up this reunion, but we should be trying to figure a way out of here."

"Oh, Kaoru was saying something," Serin said.

"Right," Kaoru said. "I think we should be able to find a way out if we follow the path we made when we fell."

"But wouldn't the rain have washed that away?" Haruhi asked.

"Not necessarily. We all had to have broken some branches and things falling. There's got to be some sort of path."

Serin shrugged. "It's worth a shot. I say we try it. And, if worst comes to worse, there's always plan B."

"And what's that?" Hikaru asked.

"Get to the edge of the jungle and start looking for an emergency exit!"

**;;;;;**

"The rain's letting up," Kelsey said, leaning forward to look up at the "sky," which was growing lighter again.

"You're right," Tamaki said. "Guess that means we should start walking again."

Kelsey nodded. "Right."

"Remember, you're not walking anywhere."

She groaned. "Fine. But you're not carrying me."

"In that case, we're at an impasse."

"It would seem so."

They blinked at each other for several long moments.

"Compromise," Tamaki said.

"Oh?" Kelsey asked.

"What if I carry you on my back? Is that okay?"

Kelsey thought for a moment. It's not nearly as bad as him carrying me like he did before, she thought. Not to say it's "bad" in that way, just that it's awkward is all! Oy...

"I guess I can live with that."

Tamaki helped her stand, and she put her weight on her right foot.

"But there's something I want to try first." She looked up at the tree they'd been sitting under. "Can you lift me up to that lowest branch?"

Tamaki blinked at her. "Why?"

"This tree's ginormous! I might be able to see the water slides if I climb it. If that's the case, we'll know which way to go."

"But you can't climb a tree on that ankle!" Tamaki cried, flailing his arms worriedly. "I'll do it!" He pointed at himself dramatically.

Kelsey raised an eyebrow. "Tamaki-senpai, have you ever climbed a tree in your life?"

Tamaki blushed a little, scratching the back of his head. "Uh..."

"Case in point. I've been climbing trees for forever. Just ask Emi and Serin later, they know! And I can do it on a bum ankle. So lift me up."

Tamaki exhaled. There was just no way to say no to her, it seemed. He picked her up, putting her on his shoulders.

Kelsey reached up for the branch, standing on Tamaki's shoulders. She winced when she stood on her ankle, but bit her tongue and focused on climbing. She pulled herself up onto the branch, perching there for a moment to find her balance. Once she did, she grabbed onto the next branch and kept on climbing up.

"Be careful!" Tamaki called.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kelsey murmured to herself, not looking down at him.

Rule number one was never look down. Anyone knew that. Unless you're climbing down, that is.

When she figured she was high enough to see over most of the trees, Kelsey stopped on a sturdy branch and climbed out from the trunk of the tree. She held on tightly, not looking down. She looked out over the fake jungle, searching for the big, shiny, metallic-y shape of the water slides.

She looked all around, waiting for something to catch her eye. She strained her eyes, looking as far into the distance as she could.

She was distracted for a moment when a bird landed on her branch, but she was quick to ignore it. It was fake, after all. ...Right?

"See anything?" Tamaki called.

"Not yet... I think maybe-" She did a double-take. Wait a minute, she thought. I think I see... "Senpai!" she called down. "We were headed in the right direction! I can see the water slides!"

"How far away is it?"

She'd never been good at mental measuring, so she didn't even try. "It's not..._too_ far, I guess. Less than a mile, for sure."

Yeah, she thought sarcastically, _that_ was totally _not_ vague. Way to go, Kels.

"Then we'd better start walking again," Tamaki said.

Kelsey nodded. "On my way down." Getting down is always the difficult part, she thought. Because now I have to actually look down at the ground. Lucky me, I'm scared of heights, but also something of a thrill-seeker.

Isn't that how I got into this mess in the first place?

The thought startled her so much that her foot slipped from a branch, but she caught herself before she fell from the tree.

Why on earth did I think about _that_ at a time like this? she wondered, trying to get her eyes back to their normal size.

"You alright?" Tamaki asked.

Kelsey took a deep breath, calming down. Not the time or the place, she told herself. "I'm fine," she assured. "That branch was lower than I thought it was. That's all." She then climbed down as quickly as she could, sitting down on the lowest branch. She shifted herself forward, grabbing the branch with her hands. She then dropped herself off it, dangling about six feet from the ground.

She was about to let go and drop herself to the ground when she felt a pair of hands on her waist. Tamaki.

He smiled up at her. "It's okay, I've got you. I won't let you fall."

Kelsey didn't let her think about the many implications she could take from his words. She just nodded and let him set her on the ground.

"So which way is it, exactly?"

Kelsey pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and pointed out the way. "This way."

"Alright, then. Remember our deal?"

She sighed. "Fine..." She went around behind Tamaki (trying her hardest not to limp on her sore ankle) and put her hands on his shoulders.

He stooped lower, put his hands under her knees, and lifted her up onto his back. "Okay?" he asked. He tried not to blush as she looped her arms around his neck.

"Yep," she said. "Now let's get out of here."

**1_1_1_1_1**

"You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"Do you have a better plan, Mr. Glinty-Glasses?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "Or would you rather sit back in that hut and wait for your precious police force to come save you?" I didn't exactly know where I was getting all these quips from, but I was glad I wasn't sounding _completely_ dumb.

Although, I think my "escape plan" sounded dumb enough to compensate for that. At least the lights had come back on.

Kyoya gave me a look that bordered on a glare, but followed me anyway.

Honestly, I couldn't really blame Kyoya's reaction to my plan. Because, really, I had no plan. My idea was just to walk in what seemed like the right direction based on what I could see from the ground. (I wasn't about to climb up a tree to see where we were. I knew I'd get onto the first branch and most likely fall right on my butt. Not exactly a good thing when we were lost in a "jungle." Or lost with Kyoya _anywhere_.)

Guess being a blonde is just a specialty of mine, I thought, looking around as we walked. Along with ticking off Kyoya-senpai.

Really, I didn't mind the silence between us. It was better than awkward coversation that always ended in one of us stalking off (usually him) and us not talking to each other for some time, which then led to more awkward conversation... You see what I'm getting at? It was a very annoying cycle.

But Kyoya seemed determined to keep the cycle going.

"How do you even know if we're headed in the right direction?"

I held in a sigh. "I don't. But I figure trying to get somewhere is better than just sitting around being helpless. If you think we should be going another way, by all means, take the lead." I meant it somewhat sarcastically, but it was partly sincere as well. I didn't know where I was going, and this was _his_ family's resort. I had to at least give him that.

He looked around for a moment. "Hmm..." He veered off to the right, pushing through some ferns and other foliage.

I hesitated for a moment. Why should I follow him? I asked myself. It's not like I'm completely incapable of...

You're such a blonde, EmiShae.

And I followed him. I knew I had a terrible sense of direction. At least I'd have someone to get lost with.

...Kyoya-senpai? Never mind, I thought. I'll go get lost on my own. In Antarctica. During its six-month-long night or whatever. Live with penguins and seals. Eat raw fish.

Yes, all that sounded so much more appealing than being lost in a fake jungle with Kyoya Ohtori. ...Especially after what happened next.

Kyoya stopped after a minute or two, and crouched down by a semi-large rock. I shouldn't have been surprised when he lifted a panel of it away -this _was_ all fake, after all. But then I just got plain ticked-off when I saw that, under the panel, was an emergency phone, like ones you find in elevators that call the fire department if you're stuck.

I could feel blood rushing to my face, and not from embarrassment. My voice came out sounding tight, angry. And I was indeed angry. "You mean..."

He looked at me.

"This whole time...?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Of course. You don't think my family would just allow people to get lost out here without _some_ means of help?"

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. So he'd let us be lost for who knows how long, sit in a hut during a rainstorm, then wander through the jungle when he could've just _walked over to this rock and called for help? !_ What kind of sadistic jerk is this guy, anyway? !

"You-! I-! We-!" I groaned and went behind the nearest tree, muttering out my frustration into the bark, while Kyoya informed security that we'd all been split up and lost and could they please send out a search party to find us.

I banged my head against the tree a couple of times. (This didn't help get rid of my blonde any, but I figured it couldn't hurt.) I swear, I thought, Kyoya Ohtori, I hate you. And I'm catching the next flight to Antarctica as soon as I get out of here. Serin and Kelsey will understand.

Kyoya thanked whoever he was talking to, hung up the phone, and put the panel back on the rock. He turned and leaned against it, seemingly very proud of himself. "Now all we do is wait."

"Fantastic," I said dryly. Everyone else is probably already back at the main area by now, I thought. I'm just a total blonde and got stuck with a humorless, calculating jerk as my get-lost-with person. At least if I'd gotten lost with Serin, she'd have thrown me out of the jungle by now.

"Master Kyoya and friend!"

I cried out in shock and fell back into the bushes behind me. I jumped back up, ready to defend myself.

A tall man stood before us, dressed all in black, a black helmet hiding his face, and wearing some sort of symbol across his chest. He looked like he was armed.

"W-Who are you?" I stuttered.

Kyoya rolled his eyes and gave me a look. "This man is _obviously_ a member of my family's private police force, Miss EmiShae."

I took another look at the man. Ohh, I thought. Yeah, that symbol is Kyoya-senpai's family's... Oh, never mind. I flicked my bangs out of my face. "I knew that," I mumbled.

The man tugged a radio from one of his many pockets, and informed whoever was on the other end that he'd found "Master Kyoya and a friend." He then turned to us and said. "I've come to escort the two of you back to the main pool area. Are any of you in need of medical attention."

"No, we're fine," Kyoya answered.

"Then follow me, please."

All the time that we were walking back, I kept sending annoyed, hateful thoughts to Kyoya. Knowing him, I was pretty sure he heard all of them. And, I may have been hallucinating, but I thought he was sending some back.

What the heck did _I_ do? ! I wondered. Ah, forget it. Like I even care.

We walked for about ten minutes or so in silence before we broke through the trees and saw our destination before us.

Never had I been so happy to see a pool in my life.

"Thank you very much," Kyoya said to the man, and I got this funny feeling he was thanking him for more than just getting us out of the jungle. Hint, hint, it had to do with me.

"Not a problem, sir," the man replied, saluting. "My men will bring your friends here as soon as they're found."

"Thank you," Kyoya said again.

The man bowed, then left.

Not a minute later did I hear a familiar voice calling, "Kyo-chan! Emi-chan!" Then I heard a giggle as someone grabbed onto my arm.

I looked down at Honey as Mori approached. "How did you two find your way back here?" I asked.

"Well, it wasn't too hard!" Honey said with a big smile. "We just followed the current pool, and wound up back here."

Brilliant, I thought dryly. Honey and Mori found their way back, but _we_ couldn't. ...Yeah, I don't know what my point was in thinking that, exactly.

"Yo, Emi!" Serin waved at us as she pushed her way out of the bushes. She was quickly followed by Haruhi and the twins. She walked right over to me and smacked me.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For getting lost and making me worry. ...And for anything blonde you may have done while I wasn't around."

I shook my head, and she smiled and slung an arm around my shoulder.

Haruhi sighed heavily as she approached.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

She glared at Hikaru. "Bit of advice," she said. "Never get lost with Hikaru when Kaoru's not around. _Ever_."

"Seems Hikaru was having some 'separation issues'," Serin said, making air quotes.

I raised an eyebrow. I'd have to log Haruhi's advice away for future reference. Wait, I thought. If Haruhi was lost with Hikaru, then...

"Does that mean you were lost with Ka-"

Serin smacked me again, cutting off my question. But this wasn't a "You're such a blonde" smack. No, this was more of a "Shutup! Kaoru's right there and you're embarrassing me!" smack.

Lucky thing I could tell the difference so I knew when to grin at her.

"Ah, there they are," Kyoya murmured.

I looked up to see Tamaki and Kelsey approaching. Oh, and might I add that Kelsey was on Tamaki's back?

"Kelsey! Did you get hurt again?" I asked nervously.

Seirn rolled her eyes. "No, Emi. Tamaki-senpai's carrying her because she's a lazy bum. Of course she's hurt!"

Kelsey shook her head as Tamaki set her down. "I'm fine, you two! I just twisted my ankle..."

Tamaki chuckled softly. "I have to say, she's a lot tougher than she looks. Climbed a tree on that ankle and everything."

Serin and I looked at her, eyes wide.

Haruhi scoffed and muttered something that sounded like, "Show-off..." Guess this wasn't an unusual thing for Kelsey to do in Haruhi's eyes, but it was to us.

"But you're okay otherwise?" Serin asked.

Kelsey nodded. "Perfectly fine, now that we found our way out of there."

I started and looked at Kelsey. Wait a second, I thought. So...does this mean that...Kyoya-senpai and I were the only ones that had to be _lead_ out of the jungle? The rest of them _found_ their way out _on their own_?

Well now I feel like even more of an idiot. But if Kyoya-senpai feels like an idiot, too, it's worth it.

Like I said earlier, I continued, nothing changed today. I still loathe him. Yeah, yeah, he got us found...when he got around to finding that dumb rock phone thing. I always knew he was self-centered. Today just proved it that much more.

"So everyone's alright...with one...notable exception?" Serin asked, looking pointedly at Kelsey.

Kelsey gave an apologetic smile and shrugged.

"How come you're the one that always gets hurt?" Hikaru asked her.

Kelsey ran a hand through her hair (which had turned curly again thanks to the rainstorm). "Just clumsy, I guess."

"Oh, so it had nothing to do with the fact that Tamaki fell on you?" Kaoru asked with a grin.

Kelsey blushed and looked down at her sandaled feet. "That might have had something to do with it," she said quietly.

Serin walked over and smacked both Hikaru and Kaoru. "Oh, leave her alone, you two," she said.

They grinned, unfazed by Serin's warning.

You really should be afraid, I thought at them in a sing-song voice. You don't really know what Serin's capable of...

Now that we were all back together and alright (with, as Serin had put it, "one notable exception"), we decided it was about time for us all to get home. It was a school night, after all.

"Next time, we should go to a real beach," Hikaru said.

"Yeah, that'd be fun," Kaoru agreed.

Tamaki rolled his eyes. "You idiots," he said, "the girls wouldn't be into something like that."

"Now hold up just a minute," Serin said. "Who said we didn't like the beach?"

"I like the beach just fine," I said.

"Me, too," Haruhi said.

"Yeah," Kelsey said, adjusting her water-spotted glasses. "I know some of us may not be into this water park, but a real beach could be fun!"

Tamaki got a scheming look in his eyes. "Yeah... Alright, then! Next time, we'll go to the beach!"

"We're going to a real beach?" Honey asked from his place atop Mori's shoulders. He giggled. "That'll be fun, huh, Takashi?"

"Yeah," Mori replied with a small smile.

With that, we left to find the hosts' black cars waiting for us, and Kelsey's car parked alongside them. She offered to give us rides home, and I was the first to agree. There was no way I was getting stuck in a car with one of the hosts after what just happened -especially not Kyoya.

**;;;;;**

After we dropped Haruhi off at her apartment, Serin and I offered to have Kelsey come over so one of our moms could look after her ankle.

She smiled and said, "You guys, really, it's nothing! I'll just keep my weight off it, and it'll be good as new in the morning." Her cheeks tinted pink. "Thanks for your concern, but, believe me, I can handle it."

"You sure?" I asked.

She nodded. "Positive. I don't want your parents to worry or anything just because of me." And, with that, she headed off to our homes.

"So you still loathe Kyoya-senpai, even after being lost in the jungle with him?" Serin asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, what happened out there?" Kelsey asked.

My face flushed a little. "I could be asking you two the same thing..."

"Yeah, but we don't hate anyone like you seem to hate Kyoya," Serin pointed out.

I exhaled. "He's a sadistic, self-centered jerk who won't do anything unless it's in his favor."

"And here I thought you didn't like him," Kelsey said, pulling up to Serin's house.

I rolled my eyes as Serin laughed and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she said. "And, Kelsey, stay off that ankle!"

"Will do," she said, laughing.

"Oh, and Emi, I'll just leave you with this little tidbit: There's a fine line between love and hate."

I rolled my eyes again. "See you, Serin."

She laughed. "Bye!" And she turned and jogged up to her front door.

My house was next. "You sure you're okay?" I asked, picking up my bag.

"Really, Emi, I'm perfectly fine," she said with a smile. "Just wait and see, I'll be walking into school tomorrow on two good ankles. I'll put some ice on it and everything, I promise."

I hesitated for a moment. I could see something churning behind her smile, something whirling around in her blue eyes.

But did I dare ask? No. We said our goodbyes and she left.

As soon as her car was out of sight, I immediately started kicking myself for not asking. She probably just would've said she was fine again, but still...

"Where on earth have you been?" Mom asked.

"Oh, uh... Sorry, Mom. Serin, Kelsey, Haruhi, and I kinda got kidnapped by the twins, and they took us off to Kyoya-senpai's family's water park and... Yeah, sorry. I would've called, but there was no cell service."

She was giving me that look that meant she thought I was lying. I guess everything that happened with the hosts kinda sounded like a work of fiction.

"You can talk to Serin and Kelsey if you don't believe me," I added.

She exhaled. "What sort of crazy things are you getting mixed up in?" she asked with a tired smile.

"_I_ don't even know the answer to that question, nor do I _want_ to know."

Mom laughed as I headed to my room.

"I'm gonna take a shower and do my homework."

"Okay," she called after me.

**;;;;;**

I really did try to do what I said I'd do -the homework, I mean. But I couldn't get that look Kelsey had had on her face out of my mind. And what Serin had said was kinda bugging me.

_Fine line between love and hate_, I thought dryly. There's no way that's true. If I didn't hate Kyoya-senpai, then I'd greatly dislike him. There is nothing resembling love going on here. Nothing like that at all. The exact opposite, if anything.

At least...not where Kyoya-senpai and I are concerned... With Serin and Kelsey and a certain two other hosts... Well, I think that's another story entirely.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Kelsey unlocked her apartment door and limped inside, locking the door behind her. She tossed her keys and bag on the small dining room table as she passed, sighing and running a hand through her now-curly hair. She slipped off her shoes and left them by the door.

She didn't turn on any lights, just crossed the apartment in near-darkness. She went into her bathroom, closing and locking that door behind her as well. She took her glasses off, setting them on the counter.

She looked at her reflection in the dark, barely able to make out her own face staring back at her. It couldn't have been her face, though. It was a face from another time, a sadder time. It was a face from another bathroom mirror in another place, a more harmful place. Where was the girl she had been trying to become -the optimistic dreamer, the good friend, the random and good-humored one, the good student...the happy one?

The girl staring back at her now was sad, a million emotions swirling in her dim eyes. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. Hopelessness. Memories swirled in with them, bringing more emotions onto her face. Sadness. Rage. Hate. Pain.

Kelsey stepped back from the mirror and looked down at herself. She was still wearing the long-sleeved shirt and swimsuit. She peeled them all off, dropping them in a damp pile on the floor, and stepped over to the shower, cranking the handle all the way over to hot.

When the water had warmed up, she stepped under it, letting the heat steam over her and wash away the emotions and memories. That's what she was trying to let it do, anyway. But it wasn't working. All the steam was helping to do was coax tears from her eyes, and make them roll down her face and mix with the water pouring over her.

A sob escaped her lips, and she sank down to her knees, the bottom of the shower cold on her bare skin. She sat and cried for a few moments, tears blurring her vision.

She looked down at her arms, imagining for a moment in the almost-dark that the ugly reminders were gone. But she'd memorized their patterns, traced them over and over with her fingertips, connected them like some twisted game of connect-the-dots. She knew they were there, and couldn't pretend for even a few seconds that they would disappear.

I can't just will the past to disappear, she thought. Even if I can't see it, it's still there. But I'm trying. I'm trying _so hard_ to not let it control me anymore. But it seems that's becoming increasingly difficult for me.

Suddenly, a different memory's soundtrack played through her mind. One from earlier that very day.

_"It hurts more than you're letting on, isn't it?... I just don't want you hurting any more than you already are... No one needs anymore pain, and you least of all, I think... Just wait and see. Everything will be okay."_

She saw the look on her friends' faces, showing concern for her because she'd been hurt. She heard their worried questions of whether or not she was alright.

She looked at her arms again, then closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her small, trembling frame. She exhaled a shaky breath.

This has got to stop, she thought. I've got to try harder. The last thing I want to do is to bring these good people that I've been blessed to be friends with into this ugly mess I'm trying to get past. I couldn't bear to see their faces if they knew.

Worse...I don't want them to leave. Because, if they knew...I'm sure that's exactly what they'd do.

She stood and turned off the water, listening to the quiet dripping from the faucet as she grabbed a fluffy towel from the rack on the wall. She dried herself off, toweled off her hair, and stepped out onto the rug.

She shivered slightly as she stepped onto the cold tile, and stopped in front of the mirror. She looked at the fogged-up glass, then turned and switched on the light. She grabbed her hair brush off the counter and ran it through her wet hair. Then she wiped off part of the mirror so she could see her face.

Her face had changed. It looked a little lighter. But maybe she was only fooling herself into thinking that, instead of thinking, _Or maybe it's just because I turned on the light._ Don't demons like the dark? she wondered.

She wrapped her towel back around herself, then looked back at the mirror. She wiped a stray strand of wet hair off her face, then stopped, her hand still raised. She glanced around, as if wondering if anyone was watching, then looked back at her face.

She raised her pointer finger to the glass and drew a small straight line. Then she drew another next to it. Under the two lines, she drew a curve.

She stepped back, looking at the face she'd drawn. She smiled, a laugh bubbling up and out of her mouth. She shook her head, still smiling.

She put her glasses on and opened the bathroom door, switching off the light. She limped to her bedroom, put her pajamas on, then limped off to the kitchen to feed her fish. She fixed herself some dinner, made an ice pack for her ankle, and sat herself down on the couch, switching on the TV.

She knew her demons weren't gone. No, that would've been too easy. But, for the moment, she was happy if they were just pushed to the back of her mind. At least they'd sleep for a while there.

Besides, she thought, I have to focus on getting my ankle back to 100%. I promised Emi and Serin, after all.

**If you've never read any of Ellen Hopkins' books, you have been living under a proverbial rock. (But that's just my opinon.) She's an amazing author. I've read four of her books, and plan to read more as they come out. (Waiting for **_**Tricks**_** and **_**Fallout**_** to come out in paperback.) Anyway, she has this unique style called "prose writing" -the whole book is in prose, like poetry, but reads like a book, telling a story with characters and everything. They're amazing. I just finished her book **_**Identical**_**, and it gave me so many ideas for my OC-me (Kelsey) in this story. I really love the way Hopkins writes, especially about inner demons, addictions, and love, and it sometimes rubs off on me as I'm writing. Some of that is starting to show in those moments where OC-me has little epiphanies or moments to herself. So maybe that's why I feel my writing's maybe a little better on these parts...? At any rate, if you're up for books about messed-up lives, addictions, questioned mentality, and sometimes love, you should read her books. Look her up -they're better than I can make them sound. The four I've read are **_**Crank**_**, **_**Glass**_** (sequel to **_**Crank**_**), **_**Burned**_**, **_**Impulse**_**, and **_**Identical.**_** Whoops, guess I've read five. Don't let their size scare you -they're really good, and quick reads! (I finish them in about two days... Maybe six hours total.) They're also a little adult, so be prepared going into them (drugs, sex, language, all that stuff) but please don't let that scare you away from them! Because they are SO GOOD! (Now I want to read them all again...) ...And that's the end of my ramble about Ellen Hopkins. Look her up, if you get the time.**

**Oh, and the thing about Kelsey drawing a face in the mirror... I had "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz stuck in my head while I was writing this (of all songs... I had been listening to the **_**Tangled**_** soundtrack, and somehow Jason Mraz got stuck in my head O.o Go figure), and I kept thinking about the bridge where he says, "I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror / and bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer / But my breath fogged up the glass / So I drew a new face and I laughed / I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason / to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the season / It's what we aim to do / I would name this our virtue." Just seemed fitting *shrugs***

**Wow, this chapter was really long... But I had a lot of ground to cover! Oh, and thanks to Dreamaker401 for her saying about the fine line between love and hate! (Told you I'd use it! ^.^) Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	13. Here Comes The Sun

**WOOT! Update time! Gaspeth -this be chapter 13 O.o ...That's only fitting, I suppose...**

**Thank you, ALL OF YOU, who are reading and reviewing! It means so much and makes me so happy :')**

**This is a rather long chapter, and I apologize in advance. But, as I said in the beginning of the last chapter, big things are starting to happen! This chapter is _totemo taisetsu_ (very important)!**

**The title of this chapter is taken from one of my all-time **_**favorite**_** Beatles songs - "Here Comes The Sun". I just love it so much! And it seemed fitting for (at least the beginning of) this chapter. I hope you like it!**

**Emi, Scree, let's go get some sun!**

**-XIII. Here Comes The Sun-**

Kelsey, true to her word, walked into school the next morning on her own two feet. Okay, so she was limping a little. Could you blame her?

At any rate, she seemed much more chipper than she had when we last saw her and was back to laughing everything off and being embarrassed about Tamaki.

Seriously, I thought. Are they the only two that don't see what's going on here?

Of course, about two weeks later, we all had a little more...important things to worry about than prospective love interests.

**;;;;;**

"Wait, wait, wait," Serin said, looking at the twins. "The beach?"

"Of course!" Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison. "The beach!"

I raised an eyebrow. "But...why?"

"Does anyone really need a reason..." "...to want to go to the beach?" the twins asked, finishing each other's sentences.

"That's generally how it works," Kelsey said from where she was reading at a table near a window. She pushed up her glasses, not taking her eyes off the page.

"Maybe that's how _you_ work..." the twins said, rolling their eyes. "But, anyway, you all said you wanted to go to a real beach!"

"We did?" I asked.

"Yes, you did." Then they grinned. "And this is where the fun part comes in!" They turned and gestured to the numerous mannequins set up behind them. Every mannequin was modeling a bathing suit.

"Oh, Haruhi...!" they called.

Haruhi looked up from the homework she was doing (she'd only been half-listening to the conversation, most likely), looked at the mannequins, then narrowed her eyes at the twins. "There's no way I'm going to be your little swimsuit model," she said flatly.

I was starting to see how Kelsey and Haruhi had been friends all that time ago -they were both sort of dry and somewhat easy-going, when you got down to it. Kelsey was probably a little more sympathetic than Haruhi, but I digress.

The twins turned to me. "EmiShae?"

I shook my head violently, the hair-tie that was holding my ponytail up threatening to slide off. "Uh-uh. No way."

Hikaru and Kaoru sighed and looked at Serin.

Serin blushed in reply, and they grinned.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," she said.

They looked at Serin for another moment, then shifted their gaze to Kelsey.

"Forget about it," Kelsey said, not looking up.

"Aw, come on!" Hikaru pleaded.

"Please, Kelsey? Please?" Kaoru chimed in.

"No way. I won't lower myself to become your toy or doll or whatever."

Something we'd quickly learned about the twins: Apparently, everyone was their toy -theirs to play with and mess with as much as they wanted to. Kelsey was the first to catch on, and the first to rebuff them. She was doing a pretty good job of it, too. As for me, one "no" was usually enough to get them to leave me alone. Serin, on the other hand...well, let's just say her will wasn't nearly as strong when it came to the twins. Er, to Kaoru, let's say.

"You're thinking mean things about me!" Serin cried, pointing at me.

"I am not!" I shot back.

The twins weren't giving up on Kelsey that easily.

"But we already picked one out for you," Hikaru said.

"Pretty cute, huh?" Kaoru asked with a grin.

It was a pink ruffle-y bikini. Something I could never have seen Kelsey wear. Ever. In a million years.

"No," Kelsey said.

Honey gasped. "Not that one!" He pointed to a mannequin that was sporting a sailor-y one-piece. "I think this one would be much better for Kelsa-chan or Haru-chan!"

Something to know about Honey: He called everyone "chan". Sort of strange for an eighteen-year-old -especially a boy-, but, then again, there wasn't very much that was considered "normal" about Honey.

Kelsey shook her head a little, trying to bury herself deeper in her book.

The twins clicked their tongues, wagging their fingers at Honey. "I don't think you get it, Honey-senpai."

"Just look," Hikaru said, lifting Haruhi from her chair and pointing at her. "This uniform barely hides the fact that Haruhi's a girl."

Kaoru grabbed Kelsey's arm and dragged her over by Haruhi. "And Kelsey's figure is no better."

Kelsey turned bright red, and Haruhi rolled her eyes at the twins.

"A one-piece like that would only upset them because it draws attention to their lacking feminine physiques," Kaoru continued.

"That's why," they said together, "we carefully selected _this_ style of swimsuit." They pointed to the ruffled monstrosity. "The ruffles help hide the fact that they're so flat-chested!"

Before Serin could go over and do some physical damage to the twins for insulting Kelsey (and Haruhi)...Tamaki appeared and did it for her. With a baseball bat. I had to admire his choice of weapons, not to mention his judgement.

"You punks had better quit harrassing Haruhi and Kelsey!" Tamaki shouted, glaring at the twins. "I've had enough of you!"

The twins scampered away, hiding behind a nearby table. They peeked up over the top at Tamaki. "So, then...we're not going...to the beach?" they asked timidly.

Tamaki smirked and lifted the baseball bat, tapping it lightly against his shoulder. "Who said we're not going?"

"Really?" the twins asked, smiling. "So you wanna go after all?"

"Can Usa-chan come too?" Honey asked.

Mori tilted his head to the side, grunting affirmatively.

"I have no problem with that," Kyoya said, writing in his notebook again.

I swear, I thought, someday I'm gonna steal that stupid thing and find out what the heck he's writing about all of us! And of course _you_ have no problem with it. You've probably got some agenda up your sleeve already about this trip...

"Huh?" Haruhi asked. "We're actually going?"

"Why not?" Tamaki said. "Let's go to the beach!"

Serin, Kelsey, and I looked at each other, varying levels of worry on our faces. Maybe we were regretting saying that we wanted to go to a real beach...?

Well, I thought, this...might be fun. Ah, who am I kidding? A beach trip with the Host Club? It's bound to be crazy.

**;;;;;**

The salty air breezed past us, blowing our hair out of our faces. Now that we'd actually made it to the beach, we'd started to relax a little. Especially Kelsey. She'd been so tense on the trip that I thought any small sound was going to smash her into little pieces. Serin and I couldn't put our finger on why she'd been so worried, but at least she wasn't so much now.

"So...why'd we come to Okinawa?" the twins asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Because Kyoya's family has a private beach here," Tamaki said.

"It's beautiful!" Honey exclaimed happily.

"Yeah." A man of few words, that Mori.

"But why couldn't we have gone to the Caribbean?" Hikaru asked.

"Or even Fiji?" Kaoru asked.

Kyoya chuckled, pushing up his glasses. "Do you think commoners like the girls have passports?"

Haruhi shook her head, and Serin, Kelsey, and I gave Kyoya looks.

"Ah," the twins said in annoyed understanding.

"You know we can hear what you're saying...right?" I asked.

Kyoya just smirked, pretending to ignore me.

I felt a wave of Serin-ism wash over me. I wanted to smack him. It was probably best that I didn't, though. We'd just gotten to Okinawa. I didn't want to be screwing things up already. And I especially didn't want to tick Kyoya off yet again.

Kelsey, Serin, and I headed down to the beach, laying our towels out in the sun.

Serin stretched out on her towel, looking something like a cat. She sighed happily. "Finally, some time away from home."

"Heck yes," I said. "This is great!"

"Yeah," Kelsey said, smiling. "We seriously needed a break from the Club."

And we knew that she wasn't talking about the kind of "break" we'd gotten at the Ohtori Aqua Garden.

As if on cue, we heard excited chattering headed our way. We looked up to see at least fifty guests from the Host Club pouring onto the beach.

Huh, I thought. Guess I was right about Kyoya-senpai having something up his sleeve.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Kelsey said.

"If anyone asks me to wash one plate, I'm chucking it at their head," Serin threatened.

"Maybe we'll get lucky, and it's just the hosts working on-location," Kelsey said hopefully.

Luckily, this seemed to be the case.

Tamaki was sitting out on a rock alone with a girl. A whole line of girls stood on shore, with Kyoya watching the time. Seems they were rotating their "alone time" out there with him. Weird.

Hikaru and Kaoru were playing volleyball (with a beach ball) with Serin and another girl (yes, they'd convinced Serin to play), and were making the guests swoon over their playful brotherly love as they chased the ball down the beach.

Honey and Mori were doing some strange sort of...exercise or dance or something with some of the guests.

And Kelsey, Haruhi, and I were sitting on our towels observing it all.

Haruhi was semi-glad that the guests had come along. It gave her a viable excuse for not wearing a swimsuit. Instead, she was in a T-shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals.

Some girls approached her shyly.

"Um, Haruhi?"

Haruhi looked up at them.

"Aren't you going to go swimming with us?"

"No," she replied, smiling. "I like looking at the sea from a safe distance."

"Ditto," Kelsey said quietly.

"Well, if you're not going to swim, would you mind if we just sat and talked with you?"

Haruhi smiled. "But why? You've got cute suits on, why not show them off?"

This, of course, made the girls swoon.

I sighed and drooped my head down onto my towel. "Gag me."

"Seriously," Kelsey replied, her voice low. "How can they not tell?"

"They're idiots," I said. "Like Serin and I were. It seems so obvious _now_." I lifted my head and looked at Kelsey. "Aren't you hot?"

"Hmm?" she asked, tugging on the netted, over-elbow armwarmers she was wearing, then on her boardshorts, then on the bottom of her bikini top. She then adjusted her glasses on her nose. She often tugged on her clothes and messed with her glasses. They were nervous habits of hers.

"I mean, those aren't exactly...beachwear." As the long-sleeved shirt she'd worn at the Aqua Garden wasn't, I thought.

She smiled, but it was somewhat uneasy. "Not really, no. I just like wearing them, and I never get to."

I wanted to press further, but I figured I would learn her true intentions in due time. I looked at her for a moment, then nodded. Just as Honey ran by, chasing a girl up and down the beach. "You okay? Serin and I noticed that you seemed a little...tense on the way here."

"Perfectly fine," she said, putting sunblock on her legs.

Her skin was so pale, she was practically see-through. (Not that I was especially tan or anything -just slightly, but still.) She said that, since she burned instead of tanned, she didn't go outside very much, making her skin very, very pale.

I bit my lip, then released it, adjusting a strap on my own bikini. "Was it what the twins said about you yesterday? I could go over there and-"

She cut in with a laugh. "No, Emi, I'm fine. I forgot about that already. It's no big deal, really." She exhaled. "It's just..." She looked out at the water, her blue-green eyes mirroring the light sparkling off it. "This is the first real trip I've been on since...since I can ever remember." She shrugged. "Guess I was just a little nervous about coming." She ran a hand through her hair, then smiled at me. "But I'm okay now! I promise!"

"If you say so," I said, laying back.

We both snapped our heads up when we heard Tamaki squealing. "It'll happen just like that! The greatest day of my life! I don't know if I can handle it!" And...he was wiggling strangely in his chair.

"What's wrong with Tamaki?" a girl asked. "Is he having a seizure?"

"Don't worry," Hikaru said calmly.

"He gets like this occasionally," Kaoru said.

"'Occasionally'? Seriously?" Kelsey asked dryly.

We both laughed.

(Serin found out later from the twins that Tamaki had been daydreaming about a romantic walk on the beach. I'll leave _who_ he'd been daydreaming about up to you.)

"Let's go walk by the water!" Kelsey said, jumping up.

I was so glad to see her wanting to do something that I automatically agreed. Haruhi decided to join us, so as to get away from her adoring fans.

As we were going along, we heard a familiar voice yell, "Haru-chan! Emi-chan! Kelsa-chan!" Honey waved a little toy shovel at us. (Mori was standing on a rock nearby, looking out to the horizon. He was a quiet, deep man, I guess.) "You wanna go 'hellfish shunting'?"

Kelsey and I burst out laughing.

Haruhi sighed.

"I think you meant to say 'shellfish hunting'," Serin corrected as she walked closer.

"Oh, done with volleyball?" I asked.

"Taking a break," she replied.

"Anyway," Haruhi said, looking at Honey, "I don't think this is that kind of beach, Honey-senpai. You're not going to find many-"

She stopped short, and we all stared at the bucket sitting in front of Honey. It was full of crabs and urchins and other shellfish.

Then we started looking around. There were shellfish everywhere!

"What the crap? !" Kelsey cried out in shock.

A crab scuttled over to her foot, and she leaped away, jumping on Serin.

"Uh, Kelsey?" Serin asked, now holding Kelsey. "You okay?"

They looked something like those two characters from that old American cartoon. What was it...? Scooby-something? Kelsey was the talking dog and Serin was that one guy who said "like" a lot? Yeah, anyway.

"Hmm?" Kelsey looked at Serin, as if she'd just realized that she was being held by someone. "Oh, sorry. I just don't like sea creatures. Or shellfish." She looked down at the crab that had dared to enter her space bubble, and stuck her tongue out at it.

Well, she's definitely not tense anymore, I thought as Serin set her down.

Mori, probably curious about where all the crabs, clams, and mussels had come from, climbed up a nearby rock and looked over it.

My curious side took over, and I went around the rock to take a peek. I sighed when I saw members of Kyoya's private police force unloading buckets of shellfish from a large truck.

Kyoya grinned when he saw Mori and I, as if he were proud that we'd "caught him."

I was not amused. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Honey-senpai wanted shellfish," Kyoya said matter-of-factly, scribbling something down in his ledger.

"Uh-huh," I said, walking closer. "And your private police force was only too happy to oblige?"

Kyoya smirked. "Well, this _is_ our beach."

I put a hand on my hip and looked at him. "Shouldn't your police force be doing something other than carrying out the whims of the Club?" I asked. "Like, oh, I don't know, maybe...protecting someone? Saving cats from trees? That whole shtick?"

Like they should've been doing two weeks ago when we'd all gotten lost in that fake jungle? I added in my head.

"If you have a problem with the way we run our club, Miss EmiShae," he said, tucking his pen into his shirt pocket, "I suggest you keep it to yourself. You and your friends are tied to the Club now for as long as Haruhi is. So until her debt is repaid, you will follow our rules and our...'whims.' That's how we do things here."

We stared at each other for a few moments, our looks bordering on glaring.

Obviously, nothing had changed despite the fact that we'd gotten lost together. Fine by me, I figured.

"Fine," I finally said. "I guess when you're rich you can just do whatever you like, huh? I wouldn't know, since I'm just a little commoner. So since I'm so stupid, I'll just play along with this whole thing. And keep my mouth shut in the process. Don't mistake me, though. If any one of these whims winds up in anyone -especially Serin or Kelsey- getting hurt, don't think I won't do something. If that happens, I'll be the one calling the shots then. Got it?"

I didn't wait for an answer. I turned in the sand on my flip-flopped heel and started walking away.

As I was doing so, something hit me on the head. I rubbed my head and looked down.

A...centipede?

I didn't stop to wonder, as I was busy sweeping off the scene after my big speech. It would _not_ have looked cool if I'd stopped to go, "Omigosh, I just got hit in the head with a centipede! AHH! RAINING BUGS!" Or something of that nature.

Actually, I was also thinking, "Wow, Kyoya-senpai let me have the last word. Weird."

"There you are," Serin said when I emerged from behind the rock.

"Are you alright?" Kelsey asked.

"Fine," I said, my voice tight. I looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Uh...why does Tamaki-senpai have a crab?"

"Oh," Kelsey said, pushing her glasses up. "Apparently it's 'crab-tivating.'"

This day's just getting weirder and weirder, I thought.

"By the way," Serin said, "you didn't happen to see a centipede when you were back there, did you? Haruhi threw one over there and-"

"So _that's_ what that was... Yeah, it hit me on the head."

Serin smirked. "Surprised we didn't hear you screaming."

I gave her a look. "Well, what was I supposed to think? My first thought was that it was raining bugs, not that someone had _thrown a bug at me._"

Serin smacked me and Kelsey laughed. "It can't rain bugs, you blonde."

I rubbed my head. "Owie..."

"Hey, girls," the twins said. They had that grin in their faces that we'd learned to fear. "We've got a question for you."

"We're not marrying you and honeymooning in Fiji," Kelsey said.

"That wasn't what we were gonna ask!"

"Sure..." She rolled her eyes.

They grinned again. "What're you girls...afraid of?"

We blinked at them.

"Uh...why do you wanna know?" I asked.

They shrugged. "Oh, no reason."

"Then you'll understand if we don't give an answer, right?" Kelsey asked. "Since it's not all that important a question." She started walking away.

Did they _not_ see her scream and jump away from the crab ealier? I wondered.

"Okay, what's this really about?" Serin asked, giving the twins a look.

They looked back, obviously trying to resist her look.

I smiled. There was no way they were going to win this one. Serin was the master of giving people (especially me) looks. She could've gotten a Buckingham Palace guard to tell her how to get inside, and convince a U.S. Secret Service agent to let her jump on the couches in the Oval Office. She was just that good.

The twins sighed. "Fine..."

"We just came up with this game and convinced the boss to play with us," Hikaru said.

"It's called the 'Who Can Find Out Haruhi's Weakness?' Game," Kaoru said.

"How the heck did you get Tamaki-senpai to agree to play that?" I asked. "It sounds terrible!"

"We just told him that Haruhi would only tell her weakness..." "...to someone she was really close to," they said.

So Tamaki-senpai's still got that all going on, I thought.

"If it's finding out Haruhi's weakness, then why ask about our fears?" Serin asked.

"You guys hang out with her," they said. "You must have something in common if that's the case."

Or maybe he thinks that, by finding out Haruhi's weakness, he can learn something about Kelsey, I thought. Nah, that's just my hopes stretching the truth to make it seem plausible. Then again...it's so hard to tell where Tamaki-senpai in concerned...

"Whatever." Serin rolled her eyes. "You guys are so weird." She grinned. "But I'd love to help out."

"Yes!" The twins grabbed her arms and took her off to go plot.

I sighed. Honestly, am I the only semi-sane one here? I wondered. I walked over to where Kelsey was. She was now sitting on her towel, drinking a bottle of water.

"If those guys had half a brain between them, they'd be more observant and have figured out some of our fears by now," Kelsey said.

"Well, it's not ours they're interested in," I said.

"Hmm?" she asked. "Then whose _do_ they wanna know?"

"Haruhi's," I said.

"Oy vey." Kelsey laid back on her towel. "Mm. They've got a pretty daunting task ahead of them then."

I didn't ask. I just took her word for it. She knew Haruhi better than any of us, so I guessed that she knew at least some of Haruhi's fears and worries. But that was just a guess.

**;;;;;**

The game began shortly thereafter. The twins, Tamaki, and the rest of the hosts (plus Serin) did their best to try to scare Haruhi. They had several different approaches.

They took Haruhi into a cave at the end of the beach, telling a scary story about how it was haunted. The twins had even constructed a fake ghost. Haruhi hadn't even flinched, claiming that she wasn't afraid of ghosts because she'd never seen a real one.

Level Mark: Fail.

The next strategy was Honey's idea: Drive the large semi truck Kyoya had been using to transport shellfish onto the beach (not a good idea, by the way), put Haruhi and Honey inside of it, and close the door. Wait three seconds, and reopen door when you hear Honey screaming about how he couldn't breathe and the walls were closing in on him. Clearly, Haruhi was _not_ claustrophobic.

Level Mark: Fail.

Mori was up next. Basically, he just stood in front of Haruhi and pointed a spear at her. Haruhi backhanded with a play on words.

"Uh, Mori? You're my senpai, not a sentai."

Level Mark: Fail.

The twins then admitted to the game being harder than they thought it'd be. Around that time (near sunset), Serin quit and came back over by us.

"That was a waste of time," she said, pouting.

"Well, you gotta admit, those _were_ some pretty crazy strategies," Kelsey said, laughing softly.

"Can you just go tell the twins or whoever what she's afraid of so they can end the game?"

"Mm-mm!" she said, shaking her head. "Nope."

At least Kelsey's someone you can trust with a secret, I thought.

Serin sighed. "So. What do you wanna do now? I can't take much more of these prep girls hanging on the hosts."

Even though almost all of them have gone back to the hotel now, I thought, looking at the last couple stragglers (who were talking about going back to their rooms as well). I shrugged. "Dunno. Whatever."

"Same," Kelsey said.

"Hrm," Serin said, obviously a little annoyed with our lack of decision-making. She looked around. "Hey! Let's go up and look on that cliff up there."

We looked where she was pointing. It somewhat resembled a look-out vista. Or, at least I thought so. A path led up a rocky hill and looked out over the ocean. The drop to the water below was dizzying, even from where we were looking at it.

"I don't know..."

"Oh, lighten up, Emi," Serin said. "It looks cool!"

"It's better than sitting around here," Kelsey said. "I say we go."

I sighed. "Okay, let's go."

Serin smiled at me and pulled me to my feet, tugging me along behind her. Kelsey followed along, jogging to keep up.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"I'm totally bored with this already," Kaoru said.

"What kind of girl is she?" Hikaru asked. "Haruhi's gotta be afraid of something, right?"

"You wanna do try to pump Kelsey for information?"

"While that's probably our best bet, no," Hikaru said. "Kelsey's keeping her lips sealed about whatever it is that gives Haruhi the creeps."

"Ah-ha!" Tamaki laughed from behind the twins.

"What's up, boss?' they asked.

"Check it out, guys!" Tamaki said proudly, holding out a plastic bucket for them to look in. "I found some rat snakes! Surely, she'll freak out when she sees these!"

"Anyone would think those are creepy," Hikaru said. "That's not really a weakness."

"And just what was that I heard about 'pumping Kelsey for information'? !"

"Chill out, boss," Hikaru said, grinning. "It was just a joke. Y'know, someone might read this sort of behavoir as jealous..."

"What? ! I am most certainly not! I'm just being a concerned friend, wanting to keep her out of harm's way, things like that..!"

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, still looking at Tamaki's bucket. "Hold on," he said. "I thought there weren't any rat snakes in Okinawa..."

**3_3_3_3_3**

We had to watch our steps going up the cliff. More than once, we almost stepped on some shellfish.

Kyoya-senpai really spread them _all over_ the beach, I thought, shaking my head. Guess he's just a thorough guy.

We finally made it to the top (without any injuries), and looked out on the view.

"It's so beautiful," Kelsey said, smiling. She looked completely at peace, a state I hadn't seen her in in quite some time.

"Totally," Serin said. "I think I'd like to live on the coast. It'd be nice."

"Dude, Japan pretty much _is_ coastline," Kelsey pointed out. "We're a tiny island nation. Odds are, you could end up on the coast."

Serin laughed a little. "Good point. But, with my luck, I'll end up right smack dab in the middle of the Honshu island, miles away from any sort of body of water."

The two of them laughed.

I stopped and thought about that for a moment, picturing Japan in my mind. "Ohh, I get it!"

Serin smacked me. "You blonde. No wonder you need help in Geography."

I rubbed my head and stuck my tongue out at her.

"Don't make me Sparta-kick you off this thing." She grinned. "What a fantastic Sparta-kick it would be..."

We laughed, but a male voice broke the happy moment.

"Hey, there're chicks up here, man!"

We all stopped, shivers running up our spines. We slowly turned.

Two guys, taller and bigger than us, were coming around the bend. And they were each finishing off cans of beer.

My breath caught in my throat. Don't panic, I told myself. Maybe they'll go away.

"Aren't we lucky?" the second guy said, his lips curling into a sinister smirk.

"You ladies wanna hang out with a couple of locals?"

"Nope, not interested," Serin said. "So leave us alone." She gasped when one of the guys grabbed her wrist.

"Aw, come on," he said. "We just wanna show you girls how to have a good time..."

"This is a private beach," Kelsey said. "You're not allowed to be here."

"Private?" the second guy asked. "Does that mean we're alone?" He wrapped one arm around Kelsey, and grabbed my arm with his free hand.

I tried to pry the guy's hand off my arm. "Let me go," I said, my voice small. Maybe now would be a good time to panic...! I thought nervously.

The guy just chuckled.

"Stop it."

We looked at Kelsey, and were surprised to see a very dark look on her face.

"Let them go. Now," she ordered.

The guy holding Serin smirked. "Ooh, what have we here...?" He walked over. "You talk tough for such a small thing."

"Don't underestimate me," Kelsey said. "It'll be the worst mistake of your life."

Even I was afraid of her right then.

"What's with these gloves you're wearing, sugar?" the guy holding us asked her.

Her glare flickered with worry, but she kept right on glaring. "Shut up."

"Trying to be sexy for someone, maybe?"

"I said, shut up."

The guy let me go, and I ran over to Serin.

"Guys, go," Kelsey said. "I can handle this."

"No way!" Serin said.

"There's no way we're leaving!" I said.

"Got that right." The first guy came over and grabbed us. "Hey, man, get those gloves off her." He grinned, and I felt sick to my stomach. "Let's see why she's wearing those things."

The second guy smirked and nodded. He put his arm around Kelsey's shoulders, holding her to him. He tugged at her gloves with his other hand. Even through her fighting and her threats, he was getting them off.

"Let go of me!" She wriggled against his grip. "Leave me alone!" She looked at us. "Guys, make a break for it! There's no way that stick of a guy can hold onto both of you."

The guy glared at her. "What'd you just say?" He let us go, walked over to Kelsey, and slapped her across the face. "You little b-."

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Ooh, now you're gonna get it," Serin said.

"Guys, run! Don't be stupid! Go get help!" Kelsey said.

"Don't even think about it." And the guy had us again.

"Emi," Serin said quietly.

"What?" I whispered back.

"You've got the loudest scream of any of us." She gave me a serious look of confidence. "Think you've got one in ya?"

I thought for a moment. Could I muster up a scream loud enough to be heard? I nodded a little. "I think so."

"Give it a shot."

I took a few deep breaths, focusing on a scream. I took one final deep breath, held it for a moment...then let the loudest scream I have ever screamed rip from my throat.

It only lasted for a couple seconds, though. That's when the guy slapped a hand over my mouth. "It's no use," he said, grinning. "No one'll hear you screaming from up here."

**3_3_3_3_3**

"Those aren't rat snakes!" the twins cried. "Those are poisonous Habu snakes!"

Tamaki looked about frantically. "What do I do with 'em? C'mon, guys! Help me out here!"

Everyone froze when a distant scream rang out through the air.

"What the...?" the twins didn't finish their question.

Haruhi looked in the direction of the scream. "It came from up on that cliff..." She gasped. "I saw Kelsey, EmiShae, and Serin go up there a little while ago!"

"They must be in trouble!" Honey cried.

Tamaki dropped the bucket on the ground. "Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, come on!"

"Got it, boss!" the twins replied.

And the four of them took off running down the beach.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"Nice one," Serin said, approving of my scream.

"Shut up," the guy said. "Both of you."

The guy who was holding Kelsey (who was still wriggling and threatening, some in Japanese, some in French) had gotten one glove off, and was just getting done with the other.

Kelsey pinned her arms to her body, refusing to move them.

"This one's clearly hiding something," the guy holding her said.

"Why don't you just shut up and mind your own business?" Kelsey spat. "Now let us go, you big dunces!"

The guy holding her scoffed. "This one ain't worth it, man. She's got a big mouth and her bod's doin' nothin' for me."

The other guy (the one holding us) sighed. "I'm starting to think you're right, dude." He looked out off the cliff. "Shall we see if these ankle-biters can swim?"

We all looked at each other worriedly.

"You do that, and I will kill you in the most slow, painful way I can come up with," Kelsey threatened.

Where is she getting all this? I wondered. It's like she's a whole other person or something.

"Ha! I ain't afraid of you," the guy said, pushing her over to the edge as the guy holding us did the same with Serin and I.

Suddenly, we heard footsteps behind us.

Never in my entire life did I think I would be happy to see Kyoya Ohtori. Oh, Tamaki and the twins were there, too. Understandably, it didn't take them long to take in the situation.

"Let them go," Tamaki said, using a very similar tone to the one Kelsey had been using a moment ago.

The guy holding Serin and I smirked. "Let them go? Alright."

"Have a nice swim!"

And they pushed us.

I don't remember if I screamed or not. I just know I fell fast and hard, and that my vision went blurry when I hit the water.

I heard another splash next to me, and then all I could hear was water rushing in my ears. What did that mean? Had one of us not fallen? Or had one of us fallen...somewhere else?

I didn't have much time to wonder because I was quickly sinking and running out of air. The salt water stung my eyes and nose, and my lungs were burning, begging me not to hold the breath any longer.

If it was possible to start crying underwater, I was doing it. I didn't want to die. (Who does, really?) I wanted to know if Serin and Kelsey were alright. Were they still alive, too? Knowing them, they were probably already swimming for shore while I sank like a rock and drowned. That'd be just like me, I thought. I even know what they'll write on my headstone. _A true blonde, right up to the end._

Just as I thought I was going to pass out and drown shortly thereafter, I felt someone grab me. I knew it was a guy, but I didn't know who. And, in that moment, I didn't care. It was a chance at not dying, and I wasn't about to refuse it and wait for another one.

He kicked up towards the surface, holding me to him.

As soon as my face broke above the water, I let out the breath I'd been struggling to hold, choking and coughing as I gasped for air.

I lay limp in whoever had saved me's arms, trying to remember how to process oxygen and get it to my brain. (A statement which Serin would've probably said, "You blonde!" in reply to.) Then I felt my feet touch sand. Then I was out of the water, being carried onto shore.

I coughed some more, then looked up to see who it was that had dragged me up out of the water. My heart nearly stopped again.

It was Kyoya. Kyoya had saved me from drowning. Kyoya had come to my rescue. Kyoya hadn't wanted me to die.

It's official, I thought. He's completely lost his marbles.

Honey, Mori, and Haruhi ran over when we got back on the beach.

"Is she okay, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked worriedly.

Kyoya looked down at me. "Are you?"

I coughed again, but nodded.

"Can you stand?"

I took a deep breath. "I-I think so."

He set me down, then took the towel that Honey was offering him and wrapped it around my shoulders.

"Thanks," I said.

He didn't reply, just took off his glasses and wiped the ocean water off of them with another towel.

Now I know it was a tense moment. I wasn't sure if Serin and Kelsey were alright, I was still catching my breath and getting over the fact that I _hadn't_ died, and I wanted to run back up onto the cliff and push those guys off myself.

But Kyoya without his glasses... Not that I'm saying anything about him _with_ his glasses, if you know what I mean- ...On second thought, I shouldn't make a comment. Yeah, I'm not gonna say anything.

I looked up when I heard someone calling my name. "Emi!" Then I couldn't breathe again when someone hugged me. "Thank God you're alright!" Serin leaned back and looked at me, her eyes a little teary. "You _are_ alright, aren't you?"

I nodded. I looked her up and down. I coughed. "Why aren't you-" Cough. "-wet and dying like me?"

She blushed and cleared her throat. "Kaoru grabbed me before I fell," she said. "Miraculously."

Kaoru blushed a little too, but said nothing.

My eyes widened. "Where's Tamaki-senpai? And Kelsey? Where's Kelsey?"

Serin shook her head. "I don't know. Tamaki-senpai went in after her, but..." She blinked furiously. "If that girl dies on us, I'm gonna Sparta-kick her into her grave, I swear!"

I smiled a little, patting Serin's shoulder. It was her way of saying, "Crap, she better not die."

We heard a splash and coughing, and looked out at the water.

Tamaki was paddling towards shore, Kelsey under his arm. She wasn't moving. He quickly ran up on shore with her in his arms. "She's not breathing!" He laid her down in the sand, falling down next to her.

Her chest, indeed, wasn't moving.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, go call 911," Kyoya ordered.

"On it!"

"She needs CPR," I said. "Right?"

"Does anyone know how to do CPR?" Serin asked.

For whatever reason, we all looked at Tamaki.

"I... I, uh-"

"Tamaki, you know as well as I do that if she's in this state for too long, she'll suffer permanent brain damage, and that's _if_ she's able to be resuscitated," Kyoya said. "You know how to do this."

While Kyoya quickly convinced Tamaki that he really _did_ know CPR, I looked at Kelsey. Come on, I thought at her. Move! Wake up, Kelsey! Wake u-

My eyes landed on her arms. Her bare arms that I had never seen before.

I looked at Serin. She looked at me. She'd seen, too.

I glanced around. It looked like no one else had noticed. I quickly dropped the towel off my shoulders and laid it longways over her, covering her arms. Then I quickly leaned over her and took her glasses off, setting them on my head. I stood back up and looked down at her.

That's why she wore those gloves, I thought, tears stinging my eyes. And that long-sleeved shirt. That's why she always tugs down on her sleeves and holds them against her palms. ...That's what she didn't want anyone to know.

But what happened to her?

Tamaki looked down at Kelsey. "Okay, I'm gonna try." He put one hand on her forehead, the other under her chin and tilted her head back. He closed her nose with his fingertips, then bent his head and put his mouth over hers. He exhaled twice, her chest rising slightly. Then he moved his hands down to that spot you're supposed to find underneath the sternum and between the ribs, and pressed down five times.

Two breaths, five compressions. Check for breath sounds. Two breaths, five compressions. Check for breath sounds.

It seemed to go on forever. And Tamaki was getting tired. Kyoya moved closer and took over the compressions, leaving Tamaki to do the breathing and checking.

Serin and I stood close, our hands tightly closed around each other's. Serin wouldn't admit it, but I knew she was ready to cry. I was, too.

What if she never wakes up? I thought. What if she dies like this? No, stop thinking that. She's got to wake up. This is Kelsey we're talking about! The one that's always getting hurt, but always bounces back, no matter what! She's strong!

I looked at her arms, hidden from view under the towel.

_She's strong._

Tamaki once again lowered his ear next to her mouth and nose, listening for breath sounds. He must've heard nothing, because he gave her two more breaths. He exhaled shakily and lowered his forehead against hers. He murmured something that I couldn't understand. It was French. But, lucky you, I got it translated so you can know what he said.

"Come on, Kelsey, wake up. Your friends need you. You can't just leave them like this. And what about your plants and your fish? Okay, that was silly, I'm sorry. Just...please wake up. There're still things you need to do, things...you need to hear...things people need to tell you-"

"Anything?" Kyoya asked.

Tamaki shook his head.

"Pulse?"

Tamaki pressed his fingers against her neck. His eyes snapped open, wide as saucers. "I...I think I feel something."

I squeezed Serin's hand tighter.

"Go again," Kyoya said quickly.

Tamaki nodded and gave her two more breaths.

Kyoya started the compressions again. One...two...three...four...fi-

Kelsey's eyes snapped open and she gasped, coughing like crazy.

We all breathed a collective sigh of relief, and I know I wasn't the only one crying.

"Give her some breathing space," Kyoya said, standing.

We looked up as sirens approached.

"And let the professionals take over."

Kelsey continued coughing, some water coming up out of her mouth as she blinked up at all of us. She inhaled, the sound tight, like her throat was all closed up. "Wha...?"

We knelt down next to her.

"You're alive!" Serin cried happily.

Kelsey coughed, then inhaled again. "But...how...? I thought I was..." Inhale. "...a goner."

I smiled at Tamaki, then looked at Kelsey. "Tamaki-senpai went in after you and got you back here. Then you weren't breathing, so he gave you CPR. ...Kyoya-senpai helped, too." I mumbled that last part.

Kelsey looked up at Tamaki, her breathing still tight. Her look said it all. I can't even describe it. It was a mix of surprise, happy tears, and gratitude. ...And maybe something else, but I won't dare say it.

Then she looked down at herself. More specifically, at the towel that was covering her. A glimmer of fear appeared in her eyes.

"Let us through, please!"

We all stepped back as a couple paramedics came over to Kelsey. They put an oxygen mask over her face, then moved her over to the ambulance. They checked her over, making sure she wasn't seriously injured. During which time Kelsey inhaled oxygen from the mask as if she would die without it.

I smacked myself. Duh, EmiShae, I thought. D-U-H, duh.

She kept looking over at us, clearly wondering something.

"I think I know what that look's for," Serin said quietly.

I nodded. "Should we ask her about it?"

Serin bit her lip. "Let's wait and see if she asks us first. It's her deal, not ours."

I nodded. "Right."

Kelsey cleared the paramedics' exam with flying colors, and she was back on her feet by the time they left. The paramedics even told Tamaki and Kyoya what a great job they did the the CPR. Imagine that.

"You feeling better?" I asked.

Kelsey nodded. "Yes, much better. But I'm totally wiped."

"Near-death experiences'll do that to you," Serin said.

Kelsey half-smiled, hugging herself tightly. "Yeah, right."

I handed her her jacket, which she'd left on her towel.

She gratefully took it and smiled at me. "Thanks."

I just smiled and nodded, then handed her her glasses as well.

"See, this is why I don't go in the ocean," she said. She facepalmed. "I am _so_ danger-prone..."

"Tell me about it," I said, sighing.

We all laughed a little.

"Are you alright, Kelsa-chan?" Honey asked, looking up at her with teary eyes.

She smiled at him, adjusting her glasses. "I'm just fine, Honey-senpai. That oxygen they had in there did me a world of good."

Honey grabbed her around her middle, hugging her tight. "I was so scared!" he cried.

She patted his head. "It's okay, Honey-senpai. Really, I'm okay now, so there's no reason to cry, alright?"

He sniffled and stepped back. "If you say so, Kelsa-chan."

"I do say so." She smiled at him. "So cheer up, okay?"

He sniffled and nodded, smiling a little.

We looked up when Tamaki approached.

"Doing better, are you?" he asked, smiling.

"Feeling alive and well," she replied. "Thanks to you."

He blushed a little. "Well, uh...not really... Not all to me..."

She blushed too, but smiled. "Thank you, Tamaki-senpai. For saving my life."

He started. "Oh, no, really, I didn't-"

She cut him off by hugging him. Then he blushed _a lot_.

I thought I saw a tear roll down Kelsey's face, but maybe I was just imagining it.

"Thank you," she said again. She smiled up at him, then went over to Kyoya. "I hear you helped, too." She hugged him as well. "Thank you."

I knew she was brave, I thought. If she's got enough guts to hug the Shadow King, I applaud her. In my head, naturally. I'm just so glad she's alright. Looks like I freaked for nothing again. Although, in this case, the freaking was necessary and expected. So I'll let myself slide this one time. But just this once.

"What happened to those guys, anyway?" I asked. "I'd like to go give 'em a piece of my mind..."

The twins smirked. "Oh, don't worry. We took care of it."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "Am I to assume that they won't be coming back here?"

The twins shrugged. "I guess you could say that, Kyoya-senpai."

I smiled. Leave it to the twins, I thought.


	14. The Saltwater Room

**OMIGOSH *falls to ground* I am THE WORST person ever! **_**Gomen nasai**_** times a **_**thousand!**_** *shame* I am so sorry, everyone! Emi, Scree, WOW, I'm so sorry! School's really taking my time up -and my slacking, too T.T Got started on some stuff with friends, started making AMVs on YouTube... Yeah, anyway, I AM SO SORRY!**

**Buuuuut to make up for it, this chapter is UBER LONG. Like, the longest chapter I've written for any story EVER, I think. But I had a lot to cover, and I didn't want to break it up for the sake of continuity. So maybe it's a good thing, and maybe it's not... You let me know...**

**Emi, Scree, again, I am SO SORRY! I kept saying this was the big chapter (and it is), and then I disappeared for so long! *falls* Please forgive me!**

***ahem* Anywhoo, I hope you like the chapter! Sorry again for the delay! Thank you so very much, all you readers and reviewers :) Read on!**

**-XIV. The Saltwater Room-**

With the whole me-nearly-drowning, Kelsey-almost-dying mess over with, we decided to head back up to the house for dinner. And what house? Why, the Ohtori family's villa that was located only a short walk from the beach, that's what.

I could claim that I wasn't impressed by the house just because it was Kyoya's, but that would be like me saying I could recall thirty decimal places of pi from memory. ...I can't, if you're wondering. I bet Kyoya can, though... Anyway, moving on.

We were all shown to our rooms to change for dinner, and we _flipped._ We all got our own rooms! SCORE! They were huge! It was like having a personal suite all to ourselves -each! Crazy, right?

See? It was hard _not_ to be impressed, even though it _was_ Kyoya's house. And, techinally, it was his family's house. Yes, I really did try to console myself with that fact. Sue me.

Anyway, we were all shown to our rooms and got ready for dinner.

After I'd showered and changed into regular clothes (jeans and a red T-shirt), I sat on my (ginormous) bed, looking out the window at the water I'd almost drowned in. That Kelsey had almost drowned in.

Why did Kyoya jump in after me? I wondered. I thought we hated each other. You're supposed to be happy when the person you hate is near death, right? Jump for joy when they _do_ die? Last I checked, saving an enemy is not really what was expected of a person.

I turned when there was a knock on the door. I stood, straightening my clothes as I crossed the room. "Coming," I said. I put my hand on the shiny, gold-colored handle and turned it, swinging the door open.

Serin gave me a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey," I said, kind of surpised to see her there. "You okay?"

She shifted her weight, looking down at the black T-shirt and jean capris she was wearing. "I just, um..." She threw herself through the doorway, almost knocking me to the ground in a hug. "You almost died!"

I patted her back, still kind of in shock.

"Don't you ever do that again, okay? You're practically my sister! I don't know what I'd ever do if you died!"

"I'll, uh...do my best," I said.

"Oh, and don't even get me started on Kelsey! That girl almost gave me a stroke!" She sighed, leaning back and walking into my room.

I closed the door and turned to look at her.

"I mean... She was lying there, _not breathing_." Serin clasped her hands together, trying to stop herself from shaking. "That had to be the flat-out scariest thing I've ever seen." A single tear rolled down her cheek. She exhaled shakily, then whispered, "She could've..."

I quickly stepped over and put my arm around her shoulders. "Serin, calm down," I said. "I'm okay, and Kelsey's okay. We're both up and walking around and breathing and alive. Thanks to the hosts. So there's no need to get all worked-up, okay?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "It still scared the crap outta me."

"No joke," I said. I smiled a little. "Honestly, I think Kelsey's far too stubborn to let death get her that easily."

Serin laughed softly and looked at me. "Speak for yourself. You're probably too blonde to even go into the light."

We both laughed, then looked up when there was another knock on the door. I went back over and opened the door.

Kelsey stood on the other side, hands clasped behind her back. She tugged on her off-white long-sleeved shirt, then on the hem of the purple-y skirt she was wearing. "Uh...hi," she said, her voice surprisingly small.

"Hey," I said.

Serin came over and looked out the door as well. "Hey, Kels. What's up?"

Kelsey rung her hands nervously. "C-Could I talk to you guys for a sec?"

"Of course," I said, opening the door wider.

She looked down as she walked in, silent.

Serin and I looked at each other as I closed the door again, wondering what, exactly, she was going to talk to us about.

Kelsey turned to face us, biting her lower lip. "So...back on the beach... Uh... Tamaki-senpai...he really gave me...CPR."

I didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. "Yeah," I said, nodding.

She glanced back and forth between the two of us, red creeping onto her face. "He really, uh...put his mouth..." She gestured toward her own mouth.

"Oh, yeah," Serin said. "Several times."

Kelsey's face was turning more and more red with every second that passed. "This, uh... This might sound silly, but, uh... Was there...? There wasn't any...?" She stuck her tongue out and pointed to it.

Serin gaped at her. "Uh, hello!" she cried. "He was saving your life, not making out with you!" She grabbed Kelsey's shoulders and shook her. "Get a grip, Kelsey Okamoto! You almost died and he saved your life! This is no time to be worrying about lip-to-lip contact with Tamaki-senpai while he was breathing life back into your body!"

"I'm grateful that he saved my life, but now that he's saved it, I think it's the perfect time to be worrying!" She facepalmed. "I can't believe this..."

"Omigosh!" Serin cried. Then she smiled. "Kelsey...!"

"What?" Kelsey asked, a little afraid of her change in tone.

She smiled widely and put her hands on Kelsey's shoulders, shaking her more gently than she had a moment before. "You _like_ him!"

Kelsey's eyes widened. "N-No, th-that's ridiculous!"

"Not really," Serin insisted. "You like Tamaki-senpai."

Kelsey's face turned bright red (again). She put her hands on her cheeks, as if trying to hide the blood rushing to her face. "I-I, uh... I mean, um..."

I smiled and put an arm around Kelsey's shoulders. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Kelsey bit her lip, then put on her calm-cool-collected face. "Of course not. Because there's no liking going on anywhere here. So what do I have to be embarrassed about? I was just concerned about the fact that there was lip-to-lip contat, but, as you pointed out, it was done in the process of saving my life, so there's really nothing to worry about." She looked down at the black sneakers on her feet for a moment. "Come on," she said. "Let's head over to the dining room." She walked over to the door, opened it, then went out, leaving the door open.

Serin and I looked at each other.

Serin grinned. "Dude, she is SO in love."

"Seriously," I said, smiling. "But, man, is she ever swimming in denial!"

"That goes for both of them. Hmm..." She had on her plotting face.

"Don't even start thinking about trying to get them together, Serin," I warned. "She knows who you like, so I wouldn't pull anything."

Serin started and looked at me. "Huh? Who might that be?"

I smiled and walked away, turning off the light as I left the room. "Oh, no one."

Serin ran after me. "Emi! Tell me! Who is this mystery person that I supposedly like?" Her tone told me that she was slightly nervous, as if she _did_ like someone, and was afraid someone had found out.

"Really, it's not important," I said as we went down the hallway. "Right, Kels?"

Kelsey had stopped and was waiting for us. She smiled and fell into step beside me. "Right-o, EmiShae. Not important at all."

Serin gave us a look and groaned. "Come on, you guys! Tell me!"

"Nope," Kelsey said, smiling.

Serin grunted, frustrated. "I swear, I will Sparta-kick you _both_ off the roof of this villa if you don't tell me!"

"Honestly," I said, "you should know already."

She started again, then blushed a little.

"See? You _do_ know," Kelsey said with a smile.

Serin gave her a look. "Don't think this is over, Kelsey."

Kelsey giggled a little. "Oh, I don't expect this to be over for quite some time."

We continued down the hallway, each of us contemplating our own dilemmas from earlier that day. Kelsey was most likely convincing herself that Tamaki just saved her life because he had to (Nah, he wanted to.), and that she really _didn't_ like him (Of course she really did). Serin was probably thinking about this person that she liked (hint, hint -Kaoru), and wondering how on earth Kelsey and I had found out about it (She's obvious, that's how).

I myself was still wondering about Kyoya saving me. Why had he done it, when he could've told anyone else to go in and get me? I thought. I thought Kyoya-senpai was the one who told everyone else what to do, doing little other than that himself.

I was also thinking that Kelsey had really come to talk to us about something other than Tamaki performing CPR on her. Something that she'd been discreetly hiding from all of us. It seemed so obvious _now_, but isn't that how finding out secrets usually worked? After you learn about them, all the signs suddenly rise to the surface, and you wonder how you didn't see it earlier. Now that I think about it, I thought, it's like when Serin and I learned about Haruhi being a girl. Okay, so these are completely different situations, but still.

But I wasn't about to bring up the topic right there in the hallway. Especially when Haruhi walked up as we got to the doors to the dining room.

We all stood and stared at her for a few moments. She was a in a frilly pink dress. Yes, a _dress_. Frilly and pink.

Now Serin and I were aware that Haruhi was a girl (duh), but we hadn't yet seen her in non-boy clothes. So it was a little weird.

"What the heck is that?" Kelsey asked.

Haruhi sighed. "My dad repacked my bags when I wasn't looking. I hate this frilly stuff..."

"I feel you there." Kelsey shook her head. "Your dad's still the same as ever, it seems."

"He never changes." Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

"Right." Kelsey turned to the doors, pushed down the handles, and let the doors swing open.

The dining room, like the rest of the house, was absolutely magnificent. A long, wooden table that sat at least twenty sat in the middle of the room. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft yet bright yellow glow. The floor was covered with a rich, soft-looking red carpet -the kind that makes you want to walk barefoot all over it. Several large marble pillars stood across the room, holding up the ceiling and framing the windows behind them.

But the room wasn't the only thing being marveled at.

"Whoa!" Honey said, smiling widely at us.

The four of us glanced at each other, wondering just who he was "whoa"-ing at.

"Haruhi, where'd you get that dress?" the twins asked.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "From my dad. He's always trying to get me to wear this girly stuff..."

"But you _are_ a girl," Kelsey said quietly.

Haruhi gave her a look, but she just smiled.

The twins gave Haruhi's dress two thumbs up, and then said her dad was "awesome" for packing her a dress.

The rest of the hosts were standing around the table...except for Tamaki. For some reason, he was hiding over behind one of the pillars, peeking out at us.

I raised one eyebrow and thought, I will never stop wondeirng about that one.

"You all look so cute!" Honey gushed, giggling.

This one either, I thought. Unless he grows a foot or two and his voice deepens. And maybe if he gets rid of the bunny, too. Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen.

"Thanks, Honey-senpai," Kelsey said, smiling as she blushed a little.

Serin was already over talking to the twins, and Haruhi was practically drooling as she looked at all the food that was being set out on the table. That left Kelsey and I on our own, awkwardly separate from the rest of the group.

I looked at her. "So you're sure you're feeling alright?"

She smiled at me. "Of course. I mean, after coming so close to dying, I'd say I'm doing great!"

I laughed softly. "I'm glad to hear it."

"You're feeling fine too, aren't you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side a little.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," I said. "Now that I finally got the taste of saltwater out of my mouth."

"Ditto."

We both laughed, then looked up when Kyoya announced that dinner was served.

To be honest, I was surprised Haruhi didn't just jump up on the table and start devouring every scrap of food in sight. You might say that Haruhi liked food. But just a little bit. Anyway, instead of doing all that, she calmly took a seat at the table. I was glad to see that she at least _some_ degree of self-control.

Looking down on the table, here's how the seating went: On the left side, it went Serin, the twins, Kyoya, and myself. (How I got stuck there, I will never know.) On the right, it went Mori, Honey, Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kelsey. (At least I was across from one of the girls.)

Regardless of the seating arrangments, dishes were passed around without any trouble, and several conversations started up around me. I was happy to sit and listen as I ate, occassionally jumping in when Kelsey turned to talk to me about something. Serin being Serin, she even shouted down to me from the other end of the table from time to time. And me being me, I shouted right back, hoping I was giving Kyoya a headache.

Yeah, the guy saved my life and I probably should've thanked him. But he was still a miserly, cold-hearted jerk when you got right down to it.

It seemed that Kelsey and Tamaki were having no trouble at all making conversation, despite the somewhat awkward tension that had to have been between them. Even though I'd backed Serin up on her claim that Kelsey had nothing to worry about, I knew I'd feel the same way if a guy I possibly had feelings for gave me CPR and saved my life.

I started a little. Why in the _heck_ did Kyoya-senpai just pop into my head? I wondered. Stupid blonde brain! Stop thinking these things! I was so shocked by the thought that I was tempted to pretend to drop something just so I could lean down and purposely hit my head on the table on the way back up. A good whack on the head was usually what I needed in those situations.

I could hear snippets of Serin and the twins' conversation, but I didn't strain to hear. I didn't really have an interest in the best method of firing a water balloon at a moving target.

Kyoya was silent the entire time. He didn't even look at me once.

I knew it, I thought, he's already regretting saving me. Well, too bad, Mr. Glinty-Glasses! I'm alive and kicking, thanks to you! Live with _that_ on your conscience the rest of your life!

Haruhi was too busy eating crab to talk. She'd inhaled two already, and was starting on a third. Man, that girl could eat! ...So could Kelsey, really. Maybe another reason that they'd become friends...?

Mori was silent except for an occasional "Yeah" (or some other carefully chosen one-word sentence), and Honey was gasping and smiling at the food, the room, how we girls were dressed (still) -basically everything.

Just another ordinary meal with our Host Club family, I suppose.

After dinner was over and the table had been cleared, our group moved into the villa's entertianment room. Let me lay it out for ya: ginormous flat-screen TV, top-of-the-line video game systems (with the latest games), a pool table, air hockey, foosball...and a crystal chess set. Hey, this _was_ the Ohtori's villa. There had to be some sort of intellectual thing going on.

The twins immediately latched themselves onto the video games, Serin right on their heels. Honey challenged Mori to a game of foosball, and of course he accepted. Haruhi flopped herself down in a large lounge chair in front of the TV, tired and full from all the crab she'd eaten.

Kelsey turned to Tamaki. "So, you any good at this game?" she asked, nodding towards the pool table.

He smiled. "I'd like to think I am. You?"

"I guess you could say the same." She grinned. "Think you can beat me?"

"It's worth a shot, right?"

She walked over to the wall and picked up two sticks, handing one to Tamaki. "Then you're on, senpai."

I smiled a little to myself. They are just too cute, I thought. It's enough to make a girl shout, "Just shut up and kiss her already!" ...Sounds like something Serin would do. Note to self: Don't mention this thought to Serin.

Then I glanced at who was standing next to me. Why me? I wondered, looking at Kyoya out of the corner of my eye. Why does it always gotta me be?

"Do you play chess, Miss EmiShae?" he asked.

I jumped a little, surprised that he'd spoken. I collected myself, then decided to play it cool. I shrugged a little. "From time to time, yes."

"Then would you be so kind as to join me in a game?"

I looked at him, putting on a polite smile that rivaled even his own politest smile. "Certainly."

We walked over to the chess board, each of us taking a seat on opposite sides of the board.

I took one look at the clear glass pieces in front of me and started mentally kicking myself. You blonde! I cried in my head. The last time you played chess was with Serin, and she beat the pants off you, but let you say you'd won because you wouldn't shut up about the fact that she'd stolen your "cute horse pieces"! Kyoya-senpai's going to murder you!

Obviously, my interal voice just _loved_ to state the obvious. But someone had to do it, right?

At least I remember how all the pieces move, I thought. At least, I think I do... We'll find out soon, won't we?

I tried to focus on the game in front of me amid the sounds of spinning foosball controls, pool balls colliding into one another, and video games (not to mention the various conversations floating through the room), but it was difficult. I kept forgetting the attempted strategies I'd come up with, leaving me wide open for defeat. But Kyoya was dragging my loss out, making me suffer.

He moved one of his bishops forward, capturing one of my pawns. "Would you mind if I asked you something?"

Again, I almost jumped when he broke the silence. But, instead, I stared at the chess board, pretending to concentrate just so I wouldn't have to look at him. "Depends on what it is." I moved a pawn forward, taking his knight. (Then I wondered if he'd left that move so out-in-the-open hoping I'd overlook it. It was possible.) I set the black crystal horse off to the side of the board. "Go ahead."

He rested his elbow on the armrest of the chair, leaning his chin on his fist. "Why didn't you run?"

Now I looked at him. Did I miss something here? I wondered. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"Earlier, up on that cliff. You must've had the opportunity. Why didn't you -any of you- run?" He reached forward, moving a castle piece forward. Right into the path of my bishop.

I moved my bishop and took his castle, again wondering why he kept playing such random, unfounded moves. At least, they seemed that way to me. But what did I know about chess, anyway?

I thought as I set yet another of his pieces off to the side of the board. "Serin and I did have a couple chances, yes."

He looked at me. "So I ask you again, why didn't you run?" It was the most serious I'd heard him sound in quite a long time. It scared me a little, to be honest.

I couldn't think of anything to say right away. I had to think for a few moments. "I'm not positive about Serin, but I didn't run because I wasn't about to leave my best friends. I wasn't about to run away like a coward."

"You could've run for help."

He moved a pawn. I took his pawn with my bishop.

"The guy grabbed me again before I could. Kelsey kept telling us to run-"

"Why didn't you listen to her?" he cut in.

He moved a piece. I captured it.

"She kept saying she could handle it-"

"For all you know, she could've."

He moved. I captured.

"Are you saying my life was in more danger than hers? Or just that her life is worth less than mine?"

"Neither. But do you really know whether or not she could've dealt with those men on her own?"

He moved. I captured.

"You're saying you _do_ know?"

"I'm not claiming to know anything. I'm asking you."

He moved. I captured.

"And now _I'm_ asking. What does it matter to you anyway?"

"It matters because you don't seem to care at all what happens to you."

His pieces were slowly dwindling, and my pile of captured pieces slowly growing.

"I value the lives of others more than my own. I'm sure Kelsey would tell you that that's why she was saying that she could handle the situation. If you want to know so badly, just go ask her."

"My point is not whether Kelsey was capable or not. My point is that you could've been killed."

"But I wasn't."

"Only because we got there in time."

"And we did our best to make sure of that by me screaming my lungs out. In lieu of being able to get away, that was our only option. So we took it. Call me stupid and reckless if you want, but it won't change the fact that I care less about my life than Serin's and/or Kelsey's. We were in a desperate situation today, and I did what I thought was best. You may disagree, but I never really asked for your opinion, now did I? Look, you saved me and all that, you and Tamaki saved Kelsey, and Kaoru kept Serin from falling off that cliff in the first place. So do you think it'd be possible for you to just be grateful that everyone's okay and that we all lived through this day? I don't know about you, but I'd like to put this thing in the past as quickly as possible."

We both looked at the near-half-empty chess board, both of us silent.

Kyoya finally leaned forward towards the board, tipping over his king. He leaned back into his chair. "Checkmate."

More silence, mine more incredulous than his. I...I'd actually beat him?

He stood, putting a hand in his pocket. I honestly half-expected him to pull out a gun and shoot me for beating him at chess. But he didn't. He just walked away from his chair and past me. "Goodnight, Miss EmiShae." He left the room without so much as a goodbye to anyone else. Not that anyone else really seemed to take notice.

I looked at the chess board again, thinking. There's no way I won, I thought. Or...is it possible that he _let me_ win? No! Now I can't brag to anyone that I beat him! ...Not that anyone would believe me anyway.

I sighed. It's like I've come to say: I just have a knack for ticking the Shadow King off.

I put my chin in my hand, looking around to see what everyone else was doing.

Honey and Mori had moved away from foosball and were now watching Serin and the twins play video games. (It looked like Kaoru was winning, but it was hard to tell from where I was.) Haruhi looked ready to fall asleep in her chair, as did Honey.

I turned a little and looked over at the pool table. Kelsey was lining up her (final) shot. Then she took the shot, sinking the last ball into a side pocket. She smiled widely and clapped her hands. "I beat you, senpai!"

"What? No way!"

Kelsey laughed, then grinned. "I won fair and square!"

Tamaki chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "I guess you did. You're better at this than you let on!" he accused.

She grinned. "Maybe..."

They both laughed.

I laughed softly with them. Now I wanted to say something like, "Come on, you two. You don't like each other? Really?" Denial!

"Nooo! Kaoru, now it's on!"

I looked over at Serin. (They were playing some sort of racing game.)

"Good to hear you _weren't_ doing your best twenty minutes ago," he said teasingly. "Because you're failing miserably."

"Shut up! Eat my dust!"

I laughed a little at them, too. In their own ways, I thought, they're all so cute together. Couple-wise, I mean. I swear, if something doesn't happen with these four and fast, I'm going to have to do something.

Kelsey skipped over to look at the TV, Tamaki walking along behind. "Who's winning?"

"Me!" Serin claimed.

"Unfortunately, Kaoru's winning," Hikaru said, sounding disappointed. "How come you always gotta beat me at this, Kaoru?"

Kaoru laughed. "It's not my fault I've got better hand-eye coordination then you."

I rolled my eyes and thought, Yeah, because hand-eye coordination has _everything_ to do with a race car video game.

Kelsey looked away from the TV and looked at me. She then skipped her way over. "What're you doing over here by yourself?" She looked at the chess board, then looked back at me. "You won?"

I nodded. "But I have this strange feeling he let me win."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why on earth would he do that..." she wondered quietly, adjusting her glasses. "Where's Kyoya-senpai, anyway?"

"I guess he went to bed. Had enough _fun_ for one night," I said dryly.

Kelsey smiled understandingly. "He's probably just a little tense from what happened. Aren't you?"

I shrugged. "A little." I looked at her. "You feeling okay?"

"I just kicked Tamaki-senpai's butt at pool. How do you think I'm feeling?"

We laughed.

"Good," I said, smiling.

"NOOO! Kaoru, I'm gonna kill you!"

Kaoru laughed as Serin glared at him. If looks could kill, Kaoru would've been dead right then. For Serin's sake, it's a good thing that phrase doesn't hold true.

Honey sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking out the window across the room from him. "Wow, look at those clouds," he said. "It looks like it's gonna rain."

Now I could've been wrong, but I'm almost positive that Haruhi and Kelsey suddenly looked very alert, as if something Honey had said was important.

Hikaru looked up at the clock on the wall. "And it's getting late. We should head off to bed."

"Yeah," Mori said, nodding.

Kaoru looked around. "Hey, where'd Kyoya-senpai go?"

"He headed off to bed a little while ago," I said. "He was tired."

Everyone seemed satisfied with that answer, and, as soon as all the elctronics and lights were off, we headed out of the room and down the hallway towards our bedrooms.

Serin and the twins took the lead, Serin still threatening to take Kaoru's life for beating her in video games. (See, having me for a best friend, she'd gotten used to winning. Now that she'd actually played someone who could -and did- beat her, she was quite upset.) Kaoru just laughed, telling her that she'd never really do it. Hikaru walked at his brother's side silently, a small frown on his face.

Haruhi was behind the twins, walking next to Honey. The two of them kept yawning, and looked exhausted. Mori walked behind them, making sure they weren't dragging their feet too much.

Tamaki and Kelsey walked in front of me, and I was at the end. I was trying to hide my smile the entire time I was watching them. Kelsey, being the oblivious person that she was, probably didn't notice, but Tamaki kept motioning like he was going to take her hand or touch her arm as they walked and talked. The look on his face was just priceless -a mix of shy, nervous, and happy all at once. Kelsey just kept smiling that beautiful smile of hers at him, totally unaware of what he was so clearly thinking. It was enough to make me want to just grab their hands and put them together. Or make them hug or something.

We all veered off as we reached our separate rooms, saying goodnight to each other as we did so. I was about to go into my own room when I heard Tamaki say, "Kelsey?"

I stopped and looked.

Kelsey turned back to look at Tamaki. "Yes?" She blinked up at him, her blue-green eyes full of curiosity.

Tamaki swallowed and looked at her. "I, uh..." He shook his head. "N-Never mind. Goodnight."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Goodnight, Tamaki-senpai."

He nodded and walked away, going into his own room.

I sighed, exasperated. Now this whole thing is just getting ridiculous, I thought. I oughta go over and give Tamaki a little pep talk. ...Of course, I really have no idea what I'd say to him, I reminded myself as I closed the door to my room.

I turned on the light and went over to my suitcase. I tugged out my pajamas and changed, feeling much more tired than I had felt a few minutes before. Guess that's how pajamas are supposed to make you feel, but still.

I moved my suitcase onto the floor and flopped down on my bed. As usual, I replayed my day and did my routine wonderings.

Why did Kyoya-senpai let me win that game? And what does he care whether I ran or not? Yeah, I probably should've run. No, it _is_ what I should've done. I just don't like admitting he's right.

Tamaki-senpai's turned into a stuttering idiot! He's GOT to tell Kelsey how he feels! And soon! Or I'll just do it for him! Seriously, are they the only ones that don't see the connection they so _obviously_ have?

I wonder if Serin will actually kill Kaoru. I thought she liked him. Is being better than her at video games really one of her deal-breakers? Hmm, it's so difficult to tell with Serin.

I kept trying to push my bigger, more serious wonderings out of my head, but it was no use. Images of Kelsey lying unconscious on the beach just wouldn't go away. It seemed like she'd already forgotten about the possibility that someone had seen. Or maybe she was just better at hiding her feelings than we thought she was. That seemed more likely. You don't just forget about something like that. Not easily.

I was mulling over these and other things when I heard a knock. Then my door opened a crack. "Emi? You awake?" Serin's voice asked quietly.

I jumped up and went over to the door, opening it wider. "Serin? What's up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

I blinked at her. "You were only in your room for, like...ten minutes. Fifteen, tops."

"And, like I said, I couldn't sleep."

That's Serin for you.

She looked down at her feet for a moment. "I... You know what I said earlier, about waiting to see if Kelsey would approach us about...about it?"

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

She bit her lip. "Well, I think we should go talk to her about it. It's the right thing to do, right? I mean, in a situation like this?"

I thought for a moment. "That seems like the case... I just don't know if she's willing to talk."

"She has to talk to us." Serin sounded desperate. "We're her best friends. She's just _got_ to talk to us."

I nodded a little. "If you say so, Serin..." I took a deep breath. "Okay, then. Let's go see what's going on."

We poked our heads out of the room, then jumped back in when a flash of lightning lit up the room. We yelped quietly, grabbing each other. The thunder came next, booming through the air.

We both breathed sighs of relief. Just a thunderstorm...

We peeked back out when we heard a door opening. We were surprised to see Kelsey practically running out of her room and across the hall...to Haruhi's room? She knocked on the door.

No answer.

She knocked again.

Nothing.

She straightened herself up. "I'm coming in!" And she did just that, leaving the door open behind her.

Serin and I looked at each other, nodded, then jogged across the hall to Haruhi's door.

"Haruhi Fujioka, get _out_ of that wardrobe! _Now!_"

We looked at the wardrobe, confused. Why was Haruhi in it?

"No! I'm fine, Kelsey," Haruhi's voice insisted (coming, indeed, from the wardrobe). "I'm fine."

"Don't give me that." She tugged on the handles to the wardrobe's doors. "Now come on out of there."

"No!"

"Uh...what's going on?" Serin asked.

Kelsey looked at us, just realizing we were there. She sighed. "Close the door, guys. I'm sure she doesn't want the hosts hearing about this."

We stepped inside and did as she said. Then we crossed the room and went to stand closer to her.

"Come on, Haruhi," Kelsey tried again.

"Would you just go away?"

She sighed and looked at us. "Haruhi's terrified of thunder and lightning. Been this way ever since we were little."

"Why don't you just go tell the whole world? !" Haruhi snapped.

"I'm trying to help you! And it's just Emi and Serin, for crying out loud!"

"I don't need your help! I got through all those other storms just fine without you, Kelsey!" Haruhi yelped when another roll of thunder broke through the air.

Kelsey tugged on the doors again, straining. "You liar. You were always hiding under the table with a blanket over your head crying. You weren't fine then, and you're not fine now. So let me help you!"

"Why should I when you can't even help yourself?"

Kelsey froze, her eyes widening.

"Why on earth would I accept your help after all that you've done? !" More thunder. More whimpering. We heard Haruhi gasping quietly.

Kelsey slowly took her hands back from the doors.

"How could you help when all you know how to do is hurt people? !"

Kelsey squeezed her eyes shut, hanging her head. She took a shaky breath, then looked back at the doors. "You think I'm the only one who knows how to inflict pain? It's not an art form. You know how to do it, too, Haruhi. You seem to have a few gaps in your memory. You can't just blame this all on me so you feel better about how you moved up in life and left me behind. You can't satisfy your guilty conscience that way.

"You left me to _rot_ in that horrible excuse for a middle school. Out of desperation, I went- No, I crawled to them. And because of that desperation, I became their pawn. Their experiment. And I let it happen because I was weak, and I didn't care."

Serin and I might as well have not been there, from the kind of conversation they were having. We just stood and listened, trying to make sense of what was going on.

Kelsey continued, her voice heavy and threatening to break into sobs any moment. "You were all I had, Haruhi! My only friend in the world! Do you have any idea what it was like for me when you left? You've always had friends! And you had your mom, and you still have your dad, but I had _no one!_ Not even my parents.

"So I figured, Hey, since it seems even my best friend hates me, not to mention my entire family, let's just screw everything else up, because what the heck do I matter anyway? And that's exactly what I did."

She shuddered, holding back a sob. "I wish I could take it all back, Haruhi! I wish I had never done any of it! But I can't change that! What I can change is now -who I am in this moment. I can try to make myself into a better person instead of...getting locked up for the completely stupid and moronic things I did.

"That's why I came to Ouran, Haruhi. I know you might think I did it as some joke or to haunt you or something, but I had no idea that you were enrolled there. No, I worked my butt off to get in after the last of my family kicked me out so I could have a second chance on all this. I don't want those labels people used to stick on me to be all I ever am! ...I don't wanna try to be something I'm not just to feel like I'm alive. I want to feel alive merely by _wanting_ to be alive! I just want to be me for once in my life! So why can't you just let this go, and let me try to move on with my life? !"

She pulled on the doors again, throwing them open and looked down at Haruhi, who was curled up on the floor of the wardrobe. Kelsey and Haruhi looked at each other, both their faces stained with tears.

Kelsey hiccuped out a sob. "I don't hate you, Haruhi. I did for a long time, but I don't hate you. I'm trying to be your friend." She held out a hand to her. "I'm trying to make it right."

A long, heavy silence weighed down the air.

Tears were flowing down my own face. Whatever had happened, and whatever Kelsey had done... It sounded like she'd really messed up. She had every right to be angry with Haruhi for leaving her, and yet here she was, offering her hand in friendship.

Serin reached over and took my hand, squeezing it tightly. I squeezed back as tight as I could. It sounded like we had a lot more to talk to Kelsey about than we'd thought.

Another flash of lightning and another roll of thunder broke through the room, and Haruhi gasped and jumped up, grabbing onto Kelsey's hand and pulling herself towards her.

Kelsey wrapped her arms around her tightly, sinking to the floor. "I know you're scared," she murmured. "But you don't have to be alone anymore." She smiled a teary smile at us. "And neither do I."

We smiled a little back.

Kelsey closed her eyes and started humming, rubbing Haruhi's back. Then she started singing quietly.

"_God is bigger than the boogie man  
__He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV  
__Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man  
__And He's watching out for you and me..._"

I had to smile. It might seem silly to some, but sometimes songs meant for little kids are just what you need to get you through the scary times.

Serin tapped me on the shoulder and nodded to the windows. I nodded back and we went over and pulled the curtains on the windows closed. It helped to dampen the thunder, and the lightning was all but gone.

"I'm sorry," Haruhi sobbed. "I'm sorry, Kelsey. I shouldn't have said those things. I'm so stupid!"

"Shh," Kelsey said quietly. "It's okay. I forgave you a long time ago. I had to. My therapist said it was the only way to move on."

Haruhi laughed a little through her tears and Kelsey smiled.

Haruhi's sobs quieted after a few minutes, at which point she leaned away from Kelsey and wiped her eyes.

Kelsey wiped her eyes as well, smiling at Haruhi.

"I really am sorry."

"I know you are," Kelsey said. "And I'm sorry, too. It was wrong of me to blame you for things that were so obviously my fault."

Haruhi sniffled. "Yeah, but I could've handled my end of it a little better, couldn't I have?"

Kelsey smiled a little. "Well, it's all in the past. We're older and wiser. Now we know better."

Haruhi nodded. "Right."

They stood.

"Will you be okay now?"

Haruhi nodded. "Yes, I'll be alright." She looked at us. "Thank you to both of you, too."

We just nodded, not exactly sure on what she was thanking us for.

Kelsey hugged Haruhi one last time, and then we said our goodnights and left the room.

Serin, Kelsey, and I stood in the hallway outside Haruhi's doors for several long minutes.

Kelsey sighed. "I owe you guys an explanation."

I shook my head quickly. "No, you don't have to-"

Kelsey held her hand up. "Yes. I really do. C'mon."

Serin and I looked at each other, then followed her to her room.

Kelsey turned on the lamps on either side of her bed. "I'll be right back." She went into the bathroom and shut the door. She came back out about a minute later, her long-sleeved pajama shirt replaced with a loose T-shirt. Her arms were folded firmly across her chest as she walked across the room. She sat down on her bed, crawling up towards the pillows. She sat facing us, then nodded for us to sit, too.

"I've been trying to find an opportunity to explain all night, but..." She looked at us. "I was afraid. I've been afraid all this time."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. We're your friends."

"Right," Serin said, nodding. "We're here for you, no matter what."

"I guess now's as good a time as any." She laughed softly. "Funny. I don't know where to start."

"How about at the beginning?" Serin suggested.

Kelsey sighed and nodded. "Okay. Here goes." She took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly.

"My parents passed away when I was very young. Then I went to live with my grandmother. She passed away when I was about nine. After that, I lived with one of my uncles and his family. After eight months, they labeled me a problem child because I didn't want to play with their kids who, to be honest, were spoiled little brats. I then went to live with my aunt. She lasted almost an entire year, then decided I would have to go because I'd taken a liking to black clothes and nail polish. The next uncle labeled me hopeless because I wanted to be a musician. He lasted about three months. When I was eleven, I started middle school while I lived with another aunt. She got rid of me after my second year because I was too quiet. I moved five times during my third year alone. Then an intervention was staged, but I'll get to that later.

"As you already know, Haruhi and I were friends all the way through our last year of middle school. She helped me a lot when I was being bounced around through my different family members. Helped me stay focused and pushed me farther, taught me not to settle for second best. Then...during the break between our second and third years, Haruhi informed me that she'd be going to a different middle school for her last year. We had a big fight about it, but it didn't change anything. My best friend was still transferring.

"I didn't know what to do without her. The friends and acquaintances she'd made all ignored me, labeling me as mousy and uninteresting. I slipped into depression, and fell hard and fast. That's when they found me -the Vultures. That's what they call themselves, and it's a perfect fit. They prey on the weak and the helpless. They go to them when they're at their lowest point, promising a way to feel good again, and ways to have fun... The thing that makes them dangerous is they know how to deliver. They become your friends, your something to lean on. And by the time you decide you want out, they've already got you chained to them."

She took another deep breath, this one shakier than the first. "They showed me life on the other side of the tracks. It started small. 'Try a cigarette. It won't hurt you.' 'No one's looking. Steal that lipstick.' 'Let's skip class all week.' Then the next level. 'Come on, just one drink.' 'Sneak out to this party with me.' And it just escalated to worse and worse. 'It's a release. It feels good. Like watching all your troubles stain the sink red as they drain away.' 'This'll take you to new levels of high. Try it once, and you'll never want to come down.'

"They had me. They got me so easily because I let them take me. I became one of them. A rule-breaker. A partier. A... A druggie." She squeezed her eyes shut again. "I became part of the group everyone feared...and I liked it. I liked talking back to teachers and my family, and running down the hallways with other girls cursing at the top of our lungs. I liked bragging about getting thrown out of yet another family, or about spending another night in prison. I liked scaring the good students. I liked starting fights and knocking people unconscious. I liked being known as the bad girl, the one to stay away from. The girl who..." She lowered her voice to a horrified whisper. "...slept around. The one with a different boy on her arm every day. I actually _liked_ how I lived." She didn't even sound like she believed it.

"I liked cutting and smoking and shooting up and drinking... Because I didn't know what else I had to live for anymore. Looking back now, I...I guess I had some sort of sick death wish." She shuddered, tears rolling down her face.

"Then early one morning...I woke up in some apartment I couldn't remember going to. I was naked, laying next to a guy I barely recognized. The sun wasn't even up yet. I quietly got up and pulled my rumpled clothes on. Then I sneaked into his bathroom and turned on the light, trying to do something about my hair.

"Then I stopped and looked at myself, at the smeared dark makeup around my eyes. I was hung-over, tired, strung-out, bruised and battered... And I was suddenly horrified at that face that was looking back at me. I started wondering when I'd turned into this nightmare. I wondered how I'd gotten to this point. When I'd become this stranger staring back at me from the mirror. Then...I looked down at my arms...and this is what I saw."

She unfolded her arms, holding them out in the soft light of the lamps.

Serin and I looked at them, and every thought we had about seeing something we hadn't was silenced. Because earlier on the beach, we'd seen it all too clearly.

On the inside of both her elbows were treadmarks from where she'd injected drugs into her veins. On her wrists were scars from where she'd cut herself, bleeding out all her pain and troubles. But there were other scars besides the horizontal lines. Scarred into her forearms were actual _words_. I couldn't even imagine the pain of cutting, let alone carving whole _words_ into your arms.

On her right arm was the word _Perfect_. On her left, the word _Beautiful_.

"I don't remember putting those words there. I was probably high when I did it." She folded her arms into her lap. "I don't know why I picked those words either. How could I have ever thought of myself as those things at the time? Like I said, I was probably high. Everything seems 'beautiful' and 'perfect' when you're high."

She exhaled. "Anyway, I got myself home on that early morning, and was determined to make things right. I cut off my long, tangled hair, leaving it short and choppy. I switched back to glasses instead of contacts. I bandaged up my arms so no one would see. I flushed my stashes down the toilet. I didn't know what had suddenly come over me, or what had woken me up, but as I was doing all that, I got a big hint.

"My Bible, which I hadn't opened in at least a year, was lying open on my desk. When I looked at it, it was opened to Psalm 23. I practically collapsed into tears as I was reading it, and dedicated myself to memorizing the whole thing right that moment.

"'The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.'"

She smiled, tears rolling down her face. "I read that...and I realized that I wanted to be someone who deserved the green meadows and the peaceful streams. I wanted to be deserving of someone who would walk beside me through my darkest times, no matter what I did. I wanted to be someone that He would be proud of. I thought of how ashamed my parents and grandparents would be to see what I had done to myself. I wanted to be someone they would be proud of, too.

"Anyway, I went and told my latest aunt that I wanted to be taken to a hospital. I knew I was going to go into withdrawls, and I didn't want her kids to see that. They'd seen enough from me already."

She hung her head a little. "But, by then... She told me that they'd already prepared for me to go away. To a special rehab center. I would be able to continue school while I was there...but, when I got out, I wouldn't be allowed to stay with them -or any of my family- anymore.

"I'll spare you all the gory details of rehab. It wasn't pretty. Addiction-fueled tirades, beating up doctors who wouldn't give me a smoke, sleepless nights filled with hallucinations... All I had to keep me going was my Bible, and that image of green meadows and peaceful streams.

"Once I'd finally dried out and all that, I was allowed to leave. But, like I said, I couldn't go home. And I certainly wasn't going to go live with any of the Vultures. I learned that day that my family had left me a large sum of money. I guess they weren't totally devoid of compassion for me. So I got myself some gloves and long-sleeved shirts, and started apartment-hunting. Once I got that settled, I got myself a car, and it was back to school.

"From the minute I walked back in, I knew that everyone had heard about where I'd been. I wasn't ashamed that I'd gone to rehab. But I was ashamed that I'd had to go to rehab at all. The other students still saw me as the dealer or the bad girl. I never lived down that reputation. And it didn't help that the Vultures pecked at me constantly, prodding at me to get me to go back to them. I refused time and time again, and they in turn refused to leave me alone. Meanwhile, I went to all my teachers and asked what I could do to get my grades back up before graduation. Lucky for me they were willing to help or I'd still be back there now. I managed to get passing grades in all my classes and hold off the Vultures until graduation.

"I'd been looking at high schools, and came across Ouran Academy. I didn't have nearly enough money to pay for tuition, but I thought I'd see if I could get in anyway. Obviously, I did, then they offered me a full-ride scholarship, and...the rest is history."

She looked at us, gauging our reactions.

I think it's obvious, but Serin and I were both just looking at her, tears running down our faces. She'd seemed almost...calm while she told us her story. I think that calm scared us a little. She'd really just scratched the surface of all that she'd done and who she'd made herself into. And she was sitting across from us, silently allowing tears to flow down her face. While Serin and I were almost sobbing. We were scared and shocked and worried...and Kelsey just looked at us.

I inhaled. "That's why you looked so surprised when I first met you," I said, my voice a shaky whisper. "I was probably the first person to even talk to you."

She looked away and nodded. "I was trying to blend in, just like I'd been taught by my many families who didn't want to deal with my quirks or personality. No one helped me when I was at my lowest point, so I was used to doing things myself." She smiled at us. "Then you two came along and changed all that." She looked ready to cry again. "I just wish I could tell you that I'm as good a person than you think I am." And she _did_ start crying again.

We moved closer, wrapping our arms around her. This was the emotion we'd been expecting. But it didn't make it any less heartbreaking.

"And today-" She gasped, sobbing. "Today, I-I almost died. But I didn't because someone cared enough to jump in a-after me. Th-Then I woke up to p-people crying because I'd almost d-died." She sobbed violently. "If I'd d-died while I was still with th-the Vultures, no one would've cried. N-No one would've c-cared. B-Because it would've been m-my own f-fault. I would've j-just b-been a f-face and a n-name in the obituaries. A short little blurb about a pathetic, tragic young g-girl who died before her time because of the dumb way she lived her l-life." She sobbed again, tears surging from her eyes. "But t-today... For the first time...I felt like my l-life was worth s-something to someone. Th-That _I_ mattered to someone."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, and her sobs slowly began to weaken.

"Kelsey, you're worth the world to us," I said. "And I think that's speaking for the hosts, too."

"You're our best friend," Serin said. "And of course we're going to do whatever we can to keep you around." She exhaled. "You're not a bad person," she said. "Maybe you used to be, but you're not now. As far as I'm concerned, you're the strongest person I know."

"Ditto," I said. "I don't know anyone strong enough to pull themselves out of that mess with no help whatsoever."

Silence for a moment.

"Promise us something," Serin said quietly.

Kelsey sniffled, trying to take deep breaths. "Yeah?"

"Don't ever try to hide who you are again."

"Ever," I added.

She looked up and blinked at us.

"We love you just the way you are, quirks and all," I said with a smile.

She smiled and started crying again. "Thank you," she sobbed. She repeated it over and over, crying harder.

We hugged her tighter.

"It's like you said to Haruhi," Serin said. "You're not alone anymore."

"You've got us," I said. "Always."

I don't know how long we sat like that, just holding onto each other as she cried. She had a lot to cry out.

I never would've guessed, I thought. She's so optimistic and cheerful. You'd never even imagine the kind of person she was. But she was determined to kill that person and rebuild herself. And she did it. She actually _did it._ And she got accepted into Ouran Academy with a full-ride scholarship. She really turned it around. And _she_ did it. She _did_ have some help (if you know Who I mean), but none of her family helped her. _She_ decided to start over. _She_ wanted something better. Her family didn't force her. She did that all on her own.

Kelsey calmed down a little after several minutes. She sat up, sniffling. "I thought sure you guys would run for the hills as soon as I told you. That's why I was afraid."

"You kidding?" Serin asked, smiling. "There's nothing you could say that would make us want to stop being your friends."

"What is it you always told us?" I said. "'Friends don't abandon friends just because things get complicated.' Or something like that."

Kelsey laughed a little, wiping her eyes. "Right." She smiled at us. "Thank you both."

We just smiled back.

"Oh, one more thing," I said. "We're all imperfect beings and all that, but...as far as I'm concerned, you _are_ beautiful, Kelsey."

"Same here, my friend," Serin said. "In my book, you're gorgeous."

She looked ready to cry yet again. She smiled and hugged us both. "Thank you so much, even-more-beautiful friends."

We hung on each other and laughed, our tears slowly falling away.

"I feel so much better," Kelsey said quietly, leaning back away from us.

We smiled at her.

She shook her head a little. "This is a release no amount of cutting ever gave me." She smiled back at us. "Now that you two know...I feel like I can...more fully move on. Is that weird to think that?"

"Of course not," Serin said. "Now you have people to help you."

Kelsey smiled and nodded. "Right." She tilted her head a little. "You guys really aren't freaked out?"

"More...surprised, I think," I said. "It's not like you're still that same person, Kels. I mean, you're not gonna pull a pack of cigarettes out of your bag and light up, now are you?"

We laughed.

"No, of course not," she said.

"Exactly," I said. "Because you learned from your mistakes. Now we can move forward together."

Serin smiled. "Side by side."

"Thank you," Kelsey said, her eyes tearing up again.

Serin and I sat up and talked with her for almost two more hours. We talked about anything and everything that came to our minds. We talked about growing up, school, friends, pranks, the hosts, video games, movies, books, music... Our laughter immediately lifted the heavy curtain that had been hanging around us, and it was almost like Kelsey had told us her story weeks before instead of an hour before.

Like I said, it wasn't something that's easily forgotten or overlooked or just pushed out of mind. But a big step in moving forward is doing just that -moving on. So you accept the subject, take it in, make some realizations, and then you move on to the next subject, all the while still contemplating the first thought. It's just what you have to do -keep walking.

**;;;;;**

Serin and I left Kelsey's room after she'd assured us at least ten times that she would be alright. We all needed some time to think by ourselves, I figured, but we also didn't want to leave one of us alone if we could help it.

Serin looked at me as we walked down the hall to our rooms. "What are you thinking?"

I sighed heavily. "I'm thinking I understand her a lot more now."

Serin nodded. "Yeah, me too." She shook her head a little. "I also feel like I wanna hunt down those Vultures and Sparta-kick them all off into the ocean."

I laughed softly. "I'm sure Kelsey would never admit it, but she'd probably approve of that."

She smiled and looked at me. "Yeah, she probably would..."

I looked up at the ceiling at least twenty feet above my head. "I guess she could've handled those guys back there," I murmured to myself.

"What was that?" Serin asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Just talking to myself." I stopped and looked at the door to Kyoya's room, wondering if he was still awake. I had a few more choice words for him.

"Are you alright, Emi?"

I looked back at Serin, blinking at her. "Perfectly fine." I turned the handle on the door to my room and went inside. "I'm just tired, I guess."

Serin smirked. "Yeah, you used up all your energy playing Kyoya-senpai at chess."

I gave her a look, and she laughed. "I won that game, I'll have you know!"

Serin raised an eyebrow. "That means you either cheated, which you wouldn't know how to do if your life depended on it, or..." Her eyes widened and she looked at me. "Omigosh, did he _let_ you win?"

"I don't know, okay? All I know is he tipped over his king and said, 'Checkmate.' And, even with my little knowledge of the game of chess, I know that means, 'You win, I lose, end of story.'"

She smirked again. "Whatever you say, dearest Emi." She walked over to her door. "Goodnight."

I sighed. "Goodnight..."

She laughed again and went into her room.

I stepped into my own room and stopped, my hand still on the door. I looked back over my shoulder at Kyoya's door, thinking. I shouldn't push it, I thought. I already got him twice today. I shouldn't push for the magic number three.

I thought of Kelsey alone in her room down the hall, most likely mulling over all she'd told us, and even more likely crying herself to sleep.

Maybe I'll take a cue from her old self and take the risk, I thought.

I pulled my door closed and quietly stepped across and down to his door. I bit my lip, hoping no one would catch me and that he was still awake. I didn't want to "disturb" the Shadow King anymore than I needed to.

I took a few deep breaths, running over what I wanted to say in my mind. Then I raised my hand, readying for a knock. I tilted my hand back, then started to move it forward, when a voice made me freeze.

"Tamaki, you can't be serious."

My back stiffened. Kyoya was still awake, and talking to Tamaki, it sounded like.

"Of course I'm serious, Kyoya!" Tamaki replied, a strange mix of seriousness and happiness in his voice. "How could you think I would joke about this?"

I heard Kyoya heave a heavy sigh. "Because I know how you get, Tamaki. You let your emotions take over, and you tend over-romanticize everything and everyone in your life. You really expect me to believe that it's _different_ this time? And what about Haruhi?"

"Yes, I do expect you to believe me, because this _is_ different! And Haruhi is my daughter! How could you even suggest that I had those kinds of feelings for her?" Now Tamaki sighed. "Kyoya, I confided in you because you're my best friend. And I want your advice and your opinion on this matter." He exhaled. "I've come to feel for her...as much as any other girl I've known. No, this is more. I'm sure of it."

"You don't even know her," Kyoya said, sounding a little incredulous at what Tamaki was saying.

"What is it that I seem to need to know, Kyoya, for me to be allowed to feel this?"

"You don't know her history. Her family, her education, her experiences... And do you think all of that is information she'd readily give any random person she came across?"

A shiver ran up my spine. Had Kyoya seen her arms? No...no, there was no way he'd seen her scars. ...Was there?

"What does her family matter? And I don't care where she went to school or any of those things. Isn't it enough that I care for the person she is now, not the person she was?"

"See, there you go again," Kyoya said, talking over Tamaki a little bit. "You don't really know this girl. You're letting the way you feel around her delude you into thinking that this is more than it is. How blind can even you be, Tamaki? What good could possibly come from you telling her all this now?"

"You don't know that," Tamaki shot back. "You can't predict what will happen if I tell her."

"But I can make a good assumption." Kyoya sighed again. "This is just another one of your flings, Tamaki. To be completely frank, I honestly believe that these feelings you have for her are not mutual."

Silence for a few moments.

WHAT? ! I screeched in my head. How could Kyoya-senpai possibly believe that? ! It is so flippin' OBVIOUS! Let's talk about how blind YOU are, Mr. Ginlty-Glasses!

"You... You really think that...she doesn't feel that way?"

"From what I can tell, no."

MAN! He really is an _idiot_! I yelled in my head. I oughta get Serin and have her Sparta-kick him off the top of this place! GEEZ!

They were again silent for some time. Then Tamaki spoke.

"No."

A few more moments of silence.

"Kyoya, you're my friend and I highly value your opinion and I _do_ take your reasonings and beliefs seriously, but...unless I hear it from her mouth, I just can't believe that."

I heard footsteps getting closer and jumped away from the door. Kyoya's room was at the end of the hall, so I was ready to jump and hide around the corner if the moment called for it.

"So what will you do, Tamaki?"

The footsteps stopped.

"Continue your meaningless pining over these unrequited feelings?"

Silence again.

"Kyoya," Tamaki said, his voice low and serious. "You may think me pathetic for feeling this way about this young lady that's come into my life, not to mention yours, but I know in my heart that she is a good person. And maybe that comes from learning how not to be a bad person, and I'm okay with that. Maybe she does have a lot of darkness in her past, but it's not like she's the only one who does. We all have at least a little of it, don't we? And you know as well as I that I could care less about status and lineage. I know those things are important to you, but you also know that they're not nearly as important to me.

"I have no way of knowing whether you're right or wrong unless I ask her. And that's what I plan to do, when the time is right. Until then... You're my friend, Kyoya. Can't you support me like I've supported you in the past? That's what friends are supposed to do for each other, isn't it? Maybe I'll discover that you were right, and that this all was meaningless. All I know is that, if that's the case, I don't want to turn around to hear you say, 'I told you so.' So I'll just keep up the pining, Kyoya. Until I find the right time, I'm just gonna keep it going. And you can expect me to come to you again about this, so don't think it's over."

A longer silence now.

Wow, I thought. For a blonde like me, Tamaki-senpai can sure give a nice little speech.

Kyoya sighed. "It's your life, Tamaki. Do what you will with it."

I heard Tamaki laugh softly. "Goodnight, Kyoya."

I jumped away and around the corner as Kyoya replied with a goodnight of his own. Then I peeked around and watched Tamaki leave Kyoya's room and head back down the hall to his room. He paused outside Kelsey's door for a few long moments, and I half-wished that he would just knock and tell her already.

But then the other half of me knew that it wasn't the right time yet. Kelsey was probably still awake, tossing and turning and crying over all she'd told us. She wouldn't want Tamaki to see her like that.

Tamaki shook his head a little and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

I sighed and stepped out from my hiding place, going back to my own room and closing the door. I leaned against the door for a few moments.

This day, I thought. It just keeps getting stranger and stranger. Oh, except for my newly revived determination to kill Kyoya. Yeah, that's not strange at all.

**3_3_3_3_3**

EmiShae's predictions about Kelsey had been right. She lay awake in her bed until the early hours of the morning. She tossed and turned, echoes of memories bouncing around in her head. Her demons that had lain dormant for some time had reawakened with the retelling of her story and the reopening of her wounds. Those demons were ready to play, and they weren't about to let her sleep when there was so much to be done. She cried some, internally screamed a lot, and punched her pillow more than a few times.

She sighed. I can't believe I finally told them all that, she thought. I still can't believe I _did_ -_lived_- all that crap. Man, how stupid was _I_ in middle school? I was a total and complete moron. Not to mention selfish. What kind of friend would I have been to Haruhi if I'd let myself die in a car wreck, or of an overdose, or some other horrible thing? It's not like I didn't have the opportunites to die. I wonder why I didn't... Was it because of my sick death-wish, telling me that I _did_ want to die, but that I was enjoying that life too much to get around to doing it? I don't know...

Then, of all people, she thought about Tamaki. That made her cry some more. Emi and Serin were understanding of her past and of her feelings, but how would someone like Tamaki react? Would he label her and discard her just like everyone else? This seemed like the most likely reaction to her.

Kelsey had trouble coming to terms with things -especially accepting people who actually understood her. Serin and Emi were the exception to the rule, but she usually found it very hard to believe that people really understood where she was coming from and what she'd been through. That's why she kept everything locked up tight where no one could get to it. She didn't want to burden others with her past pains, she didn't want to have to relive those pains in the retelling of her story, but most of all, she didn't want people thinking that she would so easily slip back into being that person.

That's what people usually had trouble understanding -change. Most people don't think that a person can truly change, can pull a one-eighty and completely turn their life around. That's what she'd done for herself, but the people at her old school had still seen her as who she had once been. And she couldn't blame them. It's human nature to resist change. Except when it's for the worst.

See, after someone hears a story like Kelsey's, they see that person in a whole new light. They see their dark side and their bad side. And they're usually more accepting of the dark past than the bright present and/or future. And with good reason. The past is set in stone. It can't be changed. The past can be trusted. But the present is always fleeting, and the future is ever-changing. People can be one way today, and have completely changed into someone else by tomorrow. The future is not to be trusted. So we accept the past and hold onto it tightly, because it's all we can believe in. Even if it's evil.

So Kelsey cried for what she feared would happen were Tamaki or any of the hosts to learn of what she'd made herself into. Of the evil life she'd lived. Of the demons that were now very much awake in her mind. She cried and cried and cried herself to sleep, fearing more than anything else the past that could strip her of all the good things she'd managed to gain.

The past may be all that can be trusted referring to time, but referring to life, it can be the very thing that tears you apart.

**A/N: Yeah...I warned you. **_**Really long.**_** Just a couple more quick things, and then I'll end this chapter.**

**For those who don't know, the children's song that OC-me (Kelsey) sang to Haruhi is "God Is Bigger" from **_**Veggietales**_**. I love **_**Veggietales**_**, and the song seemed somewhat appropriate :) Also, for those who don't know, yeah, I'm a Christian :) Jesus FTW! ^.^ Sorry if that offends you or...something, but it's what I believe.**

**When I was writing this chapter (at least, the part about Kelsey's telling of her story), I'd just watching the music video to "F'in Perfect" by P!nk about five times. It is probably the most moving music video I've ever seen. I was sobbing by the end. I won't tell you the whole thing, but there was one part about cutting (skin and hair), and the word **_**perfect**_** (obviously, since it's in the title), and that's how I got the idea for Kelsey's scars. I wanted to do something different than just ordinary scars, and then this came up, so it was (no pun intended) perfect. Go to YouTube and look the music video up, because it is AMAZING. (And there's a clean version, too -that's the one I have! There's virtually no difference between the clean and the uncut except for language, so no worries.)**

**I took the title of this chapter from a song of the same title by Owl City ("The Saltwater Room" -ah-MAZ-ing). It sort of has a dual meaning for this chapter. In the song, he refers to the ocean as the "saltwater room", and the characters **_**are**_** in Okinawa at a beach. But, as you saw in this chapter, a lot of tears were shed and a lot of pain and secrets were released. Tears taste salty, and they sometimes sting your eyes. The rooms and even the whole house that these people are in has figuratively become the "saltwater room."**

**So...yeah, there's that. Hope you find my thought process as interesting as I do. It mostly just confuses people, soyeah haha Thanks for enduring through it! Like I said, a LOT to get through. I'll be back soon with another chapter! Thanks for reading! ^.^**


	15. Transfer

**OH MY GOODNESS. I AM ALIVE.**

**Wow, really sorry everyone! *sad face* I left for such a long time -and after such an important chapter! Please forgive me!**

**Okay, so before we get on with another (very) long chapter, I have to give a BIG shout-out to AnimeVamp1997 for telling me about the song "Look At Me Now" by Nightcore. Go look it up on YouTube NOW! It is so fitting of OC-me, it's scary. I now listen to it all the time, and always think of this story and new plot twists and ideas. So thank you, my wonderful reader and reviewer! You are awesome! :D**

**EMI SCREE FORGIVE ME! *falls at your feet* Please enjoy this new chapter, and accept my apology! *emo corner***

**Oh, quick note: I am about 20 chapters away from the end of the Ouran manga, and it's AMAZING! :D I have decided that this story will work more towards mirroring the manga than the anime (at some point...), since the manga goes farther and there's more characters and instances to use. Hope this works! *fingers crossed***

**Enjoy, readers. :)**

**-XV. Transfer-**

"I'm home," I said as I walked through my front door.

My mom walked over from the kitchen and immediately hugged me. "How was the trip?" she asked happily. "Did you have fun?"

I smiled back. "Yeah, lots of fun. The beach is always fun. I'm gonna go put my stuff away."

Now you really didn't think I was going to tell my mom what sort of things _really _happened on the trip? That Kelsey and I almost drowned, that I ticked off Kyoya again, that Kelsey was a cutter and a druggie in middle school, or that Kyoya was trying to convince Tamaki that he really didn't have feelings for Kelsey? Yeah, like I was going to tell my mom all that. Not likely. Not that I didn't trust my mom, but this was heavy stuff!

Though I _would_ tell her the parts about Karou beating Serin at video games, me beating Kyoya at chess (miraculously), and Kelsey beating Tamaki at pool. I'd tell her about the house and the dinner and all that we did on the beach (except for us getting "jumped" by those guys). I'd tell her about the contest the twins had come up with to figure out what Haruhi's weakness was. I'd tell her that Kelsey and Haruhi had resolved their differences and were determined to be good friends again.

See, with parents (especially mothers), you just have to know how to censor stuff. It's an art form, really, that most (if not all) teenagers perfect by the time they leave high school.

I flopped down on my bed, sighing heavily. All those memories and more swirled through my head, and I lay there for a while, amazed that all that could happen in the course of one day and night. It seemed like so much had changed, but, really, a lot of things hadn't. Kelsey still wore her gloves and long-sleeved shirts. Tamaki and her still hadn't told each other how they felt. Serin was still plotting to get revenge on Kaoru for the video game thing (even though she really should've been planning ways to tell him how _she_ felt). Haruhi was still the bored, sarcastic one who had no weakness (or so the hosts thought).

Oh, and Kyoya and I still loathed each other. Probably more so now than ever before, despite the fact that he'd saved my life. I could thank him for that, but I could never forgive him for what he'd said to Tamaki that night in Okinawa. I could never forgive him for trying to tear Tamaki away from Kelsey before they'd even gotten a chance to find out just what they meant to each other.

Really, the only thing that had changed (other than Serin and I learning about Kelsey's past) was the relationship between Haruhi and Kelsey. They'd finally had it out, said what they needed to say, and now they could move on. There wasn't nearly as much tension between them now, and they laughed and talked like old friends should.

I guess you could say that the relationship between Serin, Kelsey, and I changed some, too. We could never go back to thinking she was a troubleless, shy, self-conscious, sweet girl. She may have been those things (especiallly sweet, and a tad self-conscious), but now we knew she was more than that. She was strong and able, caring and kind, determined and motivated, optimistic and gentle. And it was her dark times that had taught her to be those things. At least, that's what I liked to think.

I couldn't stop thinking about those scars on her arms. _Perfect. Beautiful._ If she _was_ high or whatever when she did it, why on earth would she carve _those_ words? She wasn't living a perfect or particularly beautiful life.

I mulled over that for a while, coming up with a theory that sounded pretty solid to me.

Maybe she did it because that was what she secretly wanted to be. She wanted to be perfect, and she wanted to be beautiful. But in the place she was in, that seemed impossible. The Vultures had taught her to bleed out her problems...so maybe she carved the words into her arms to let the pain bleed its way out.

It was all very morose to think about, but it made sense to me. Of course, there are a lot of things out there that make sense to me and no one else. So maybe it was just me.

One thing I was certain of was that I wanted to go over to her apartment right then and give her a big hug. I wanted to help make sure that she would never think she was worthless or hopeless ever again. Now that I knew she had once felt that way -had once been in so much pain that she wanted to die-, I was afraid of losing her. More afraid than I'd been on the beach when she wasn't breathing.

I wanted to talk to my mom about it, ask her advice. But there was no way of knowing how she'd react to this kind of information. Again, not like I didn't trust my mom, but I also didn't want Kelsey's story getting out. It was hers to tell to whomever she chose, not ours to spread around.

I considered calling Serin and talking to her about it. I figured she must've been doing something similar to what I was doing -mulling over the past day and a half in numb wonder. I even considered calling Kelsey and seeing if she wanted to hang out, but she was probably grateful for some alone time after that high-stress "vacation."

I sighed and rolled over onto my stomach. I need another vacation, I thought. Time away from Ouran and the Host Club. Maybe just for a day or two. Hmm...we could pretend to be sick and then claim that we all had the same thing and request to be quarantined together! No, that's no good... Our parents would never go for that...

Well, who knows? I thought. Maybe we'll get the chance sooner than we think.

Oh, how I wish I had never thought that thought...

**;;;;;**

"Wait, what's happening?"

Serin smacked me. "Were you not listening to a word we were saying?"

"She was probably spacing about that math quiz tomorrow," Kelsey said, as if this explained everything.

I sighed. "Anyway..."

"Anyway," Kelsey said, "We were talking about how all the afternoon classes are canceled today and for the next couple days."

"Really? !" I asked incredulously. "Wait... What's the catch?"

"No catch, I guess," she answered. "The school's just hosting an exposition for the cultural clubs."

"Yeah," Serin said. "A bunch of drama and music clubs from other schools have been invited."

"Apparently, it's some big annual event," Haruhi added.

"Hmm..." Well, as long as we get to get out of our afternoon classes, I'm all for that! I thought.

"What? ! You mean you've never tried it?"

We looked up when we heard the twins' incredulous question. Then we sighed when we saw it was directed at Renge.

"Didn't anyone tell you that it's the preferred drink of the Host Club?" Hikaru asked.

"And you _are_ our manager, so you should drink it, too," Kaoru said.

"Um, well..." Renge sounded nervous. "I _think_ I've heard of instant coffee before..." She snapped her head up and smiled. "Oh, that's right! Isn't that when the coffee beans have already been ground for you?"

"EHHH!" the twins cried, doing their best to imitate the sound of a buzzer.

Renge jumped back in fear and surprise.

"That's just ground coffee," Hikaru corrected. "Instant is something completely different. I don't think there are even any coffee beans _in_ instant coffee. You just mix this powder with hot water and then drink it! You don't have to brew it- It's pretty awesome."

The three of us had learned shortly after joining the Host Club that one of Haruhi's little missteps had led to the hosts becoming obsessed with commoners' things -like instant coffee. Now they drank it _all the time_. Who knew rich people would actually drink the stuff?

"It's basically just like coffee, but not as robust," Kaoru explained.

"And yet it's strangely satisfying," Hikaru murmured.

"Now that you mention it, we just ran out of it, didn't we?" Kaoru wondered aloud.

The four of us sighed. Oh, no...

The twins grinned and scooted over to us. Kaoru put a hand on Serin's shoulder, and Hikaru on Haruhi's shoulder. "Haruhi, girls, go buys us some more!"

We sighed again.

"Why do we have to go get it?" Haruhi asked, annoyed.

"Because you're the only commoners!" Hikaru said. "No one else knows where to buy it."

"I'm sure you've heard of these things called maps-?"

"We've even been serving it to our guests lately," Kaoru said, cutting Kelsey's sarcastic remark off. "And, as you all know, it's part of your jobs."

"But the Cultural Club Exposition starts soon," Serin said.

I wanted to laugh. As if she'd actually planned on going. The only way she or I would've gone was if there were dance clubs.

Oh, I don't think I've mentioned this, have I? Serin tap dances! She's pretty darn good, too. As for me, I do ballet. Love it, love it, love it. Kelsey had often told us how good we were, claiming she couldn't do anything but ballroom dancing. (Lucky her!) Anyway, so we weren't really interested in the clubs that were coming, despite the fact that we also liked acting and singing (as did Kelsey). We weren't involved in any clubs of the sort (blame the Host Club for that), so we had no real reason to go.

And now we were stuck doing the Host Club's shopping because going to the Cultural Club Expo wasn't mandatory. So the twins pushed us out of the classroom with a cheerful and smug, "Be careful out there!"

"Stupid twins," I muttered.

"Eh, they're not so bad," Serin said.

Of course she'd be the one to say that.

A couple girls from our class stopped to talk to us as they also left the classroom.

"Thanks for helping them out," one girl said, smiling.

"No problem," Kelsey said happily.

"I just wish they'd buy their own instant coffee," Haruhi said.

The girls laughed.

"I don't know if that'll ever happen," the second girl said. "But I _am_ glad that they seem to be having a good time!"

"And it's all thanks to you four, I think," the first girl said.

"Us?" Haruhi asked.

"We've been in the same class with the twins ever since middle school," the girl continued. "They didn't used to be this cheerful and friendly. They were always quiet and withdrawn. They didn't have many friends. It's like they didn't want anyone to get too close."

"I don't think they liked school very much," the second girl said. "They seemed so bored by it."

"I guess things started to change when the Host Club was created. Since then, they've come out of their shells, little by little."

We looked back into the classroom, where the twins were talking with some of the other guys in the class. They were laughing about something.

"Really..." I murmured.

"But they've really opened up since you all joined the Host Club. Now they talk and joke with everyone in class!"

"That's why we wanted to make sure you know how grateful we are to you! Because of you, the twins are having fun, and enjoying each day to the fullest."

Kelsey smiled at them. "Glad we could be of help!"

"Yeah," Haruhi agreed. "Well, we better go get that coffee."

"Right," I said, nodding. "Bye."

"Bye!" the girls said.

Serin followed after us more slowly, looking sort of like she was in a daze.

"Now who's spacing out?" I asked Kelsey, grinning.

"You okay, Serin?" Kelsey asked her, adjusting her glasses.

A small, pleased smile spread across her face. "Perfectly fine. Why do you ask, dearest Kelsey?"

We stared at her incredulously.

"Uh...maybe because you just called me 'dearest'...?" Kelsey said nervously.

"Or maybe because you're acting like a lovesick little puppy- OW!"

Serin always woke up from dazes in time to smack me. It was a special talent she had. "I am not!" She hit me again. "Take that back!"

"She was just pointing out the obvious," Haruhi said.

Serin sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just go get the coffee, huh?"

We laughed.

"Uh-huh," I said. "Sure thing, Serin."

**;;;;;**

So the four of us went out and did just that. We bought enough instant coffee to last the Club at least a month. Or that's what we were hoping, anyway, since we were each carrying a big paper bag filled to the top with the stuff. But when it came to the Host Club, you never could tell.

I was thinking about what those girls had said about the twins. And that totally lovestruck look Serin had had on her face. I mean, really, who was she kidding?

But back to the twins... They'd really been that closed-up before? It boggled my mind, since I'd always known the twins as scheming and mischevious, but outgoing at the same time. Of course, Kelsey was closed-up, and now look at her. I guess it's not like a one-case scenario or anything.

Suddenly, Kelsey gasped, breaking me from my thoughts. "Haruhi! Banana peel!"

"Huh? Wha- WAA!" Haruhi stepped and slipped on a banana peel that just happened to be lying on the sidewalk, and, before any of us could move to break her fall...someone caught her.

What is it with these stupid banana peels? ! I yelled in my head. I've got this strange feeling Kyoya-senpai's behind them! ...Nice, Emi. Next you'll try to blame him for global warming.

We looked over to see who had caught Haruhi. It was a girl, probably a second- or third-year. She was wearing a uniform I didn't recognize, so she obviously wasn't from our school. She was tall and thin, and had very short brown hair. In fact, she almost looked like a guy. That probably wasn't a nice thing to think, but it was true. And it wasn't like she wasn't attractive. She just...looked like a guy. A feminine-looking guy.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked, setting Haruhi on her feet and standing back up herself. "It'd be a shame for any harm to come to that cute face of yours...young lady."

Quiet yet audible gasps broke out of all our mouths. She knew Haruhi was a girl? !

Oh, man, I thought, wanting to stamp my foot. We're in for it now! Kyoya-senpai'll kill us and probably hand us a debt to the Host Club like Haruhi!

The girl just chuckled and flipped her bangs out of her face.

Who is this girl anyway? I wondered.

I got a strange feeling that we were about to find out.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Two girls in unfamiliar uniforms walked down the hall of Ouran's North Hallway, their heeled shoes clacking on the marble floors.

Ouran students that they passed looked at them curiously. Some watched them until they walked away, and others noticed the uniforms and thought they were just there for the Cultural Club Expo.

The girls hardly noticed, though, and just kept on clacking down the hallway with determined, deliberate steps.

They stopped in front of a set of large doors at the end of the hallway. They looked up at the sign.

"This looks like the place," the taller of the two said.

"Mm-hmm," the shorter said, nodding.

They nodded at each other, then opened the doors, swinging them wide open. What they had stumbled upon was Music Room 3, and the Host Club.

Their cosplay for the day was knights. Yes, in shining armor, and yes, with swords. Well, Kyoya had a book, not a sword, but he was still in armor.

"Welcome to the Host Club, ladies," they greeted.

The two girls looked at them, clearly unimpressed.

Tamaki stepped forward. "Well, well, well, it would seem you girls are from a different school. I certainly hope we haven't startled you." He smiled and stepped closer to the girls, sheathing his sword at his side. "We're glad you've come, princesses. My darlings, even if the world were to be destroyed, I'd put my life on the line as your faithful knight and servant." He bent down on one knee, bowing before them. "I will protect you."

The girls looked like they were trying not to laugh.

"Oh my," the taller girl said. "Do you really think you'd be able to protect us? That's awfully arrogant of you, wouldn't you agree? You think that's what a woman wants to hear? Well, you're wrong."

Tamaki started a little, looking up at them.

"Come on, give him a break, Sister Suzuran," the shorter girl said. "Men are just lowly lifeforms that don't care about anything other than perpetuating their testosterone-laden image. By 'protecting us,' he's actually attempting to disguise the fact that he is weak unable of even protecting himself."

"You're such a clever girl, Hinagiku," the taller girl chuckled.

Tamaki stood, smiling. "Don't you think that's a little harsh? Fine, then. What do women like you want to hear?"

**1_1_1_1_1**

I could've laughed at the look on Kelsey's face at hearing Tamaki's speech about being a knight. She looked ready to swoon and fall over. Or at least to say, "Heck, that woulda worked on me!" ...Knowing Kelsey, she'd probably do the latter.

But I couldn't laugh because I was still wondering who this girl was who'd found us, and how she knew that Haruhi was a girl. That and I was also thinking that these were no ordinary high school students.

At the moment Tamaki asked the girls what it was they wanted to hear, the girl that was with us walked into the doorway, one arm around Haruhi and the other around (you guessed it) me. "Maybe something like... 'I would never leave my lover alone.'"

The hosts started and looked at us in shock.

Yeah, we didn't know what she was doing either, so we probably looked pretty surprised, too.

Suddenly, the girl took Haruhi's hand and spun her around her. "'If we fight, it will be together!'" She spun me around as well. "'If we fail, we fail together.'" Then, randomly, she grabbed Kelsey's hand and pulled her towards her, kneeling in front of her. "'Even if I were to die, I promise I will never leave your side, my love.'" Then she leaned foward and kissed Kelsey's hand. Actually _kissed_ it.

Kelsey turned bright red and muttered something in French and took her hand back. (She told me later that she'd said, "Uh, yeah, I like boys.")

The hosts, of course, looked ready to have a stroke. Tamaki, though, looked like an aneurysm had just burst in his brain.

"Benibara," the shortest girl said, laughing. "We thought you'd never show!"

"What are we going to do with you?" the long-haired girl asked. "So tell us where you found these four lovely young ladies."

"I just met them outside of the school." She (Benibara) turned away dramatically, putting her hand to her head and gesturing to Haruhi with the other. "This one may be dressed like a boy, but I knew the truth!" She grabbed Haruhi, pulling her face close to hers. "She has such pretty, maidenly eyes..."

Haruhi looked like she was going to be sick.

The shorter girl grabbed onto Serin, pushed back her dress sleeve and started rubbing her arm. "Wow, her skin is incredibly soft!"

"Sparta-kick..." Serin muttered.

The other girl grabbed me and started rubbing my shin. "Isn't it though?" She grabbed Kelsey's hand, petting it like it was a soft-furred cat. "I think these are going to be little diamonds in the rough!"

Now Tamaki had on his rant face. He stormed forward across the room. "Don't you go touching them like that without asking my permission!" he shouted.

Benibara stood and raised her fist, punching Tamaki right in the face. "Leave them alone!"

Tamaki shrank back, crying. "She punched me! She actually punched me! She's so violent!" he sobbed.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Honey said.

"Good Lord," Kelsey said under her breath.

Benibara and the other two girls (luckily) stepped away from us, facing the hosts.

"Guess the rumors we heard about this place are true," Benibara said. "You guys are just a bunch of weak little punks with no sense between you."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, looking down -his definite thinking face. Don't ask how I knew, I just did. "Those uniforms..." He looked at them. "I assume you ladies are from the Lobelia Girls Academy?"

I wanted to go over and smack him in the back of the head. Of COURSE you know, Mr. Glinty-Glasses! I thought at him.

Benibara smiled. "That's correct."

Suddenly, the three of them threw off their uniforms, making an instant costume-change. Benibara was now in a suit (with coattails and hat), and the other two were in dresses. All three of them were holding a white lily.

"_Lobelia..._" Benibara sang. The other two chimed in at different pitches.

Benibara put her lily between her teeth and tipped her hat. "St. Lobelia Academy high school second-year, Benio Amakuza a.k.a. Benibara."

They sang again.

"Second-year student Chizuru Maihara," the girl with the long hair said, "a.k.a. Suzuran."

They sang yet again.

"First-year student, Hinako Tsuabuki," the shortest said, "a.k.a. Hinagiku."

They sang one last time.

"We are the members of the St. Lobelia Academy's White Lily League," Benibara said. "Also known as..." She threw her hat up in the air, the three of them doing another costume change. Now they were in elaborate stage costumes with feathered peacock-esque tails on the back.

They struck a pose together. "The Zuka Club!"

We all stared at them, the hosts looking shocked and unsure of how to react. Then the four of us looked back and forth a few times. It went a little something like this.

THE ZUKA CLUB! The Host Club. THE ZUKA CLUB! The Host Club.

I had to admit, their presentation was just a tad more impressive.

Tamaki turned white as a sheet. "The...Zuka...Club?" Then he fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. (Kelsey, of course, ran over to see if he was alright.)

Immediately after which, Serin and the twins busted up laughing. And I mean _laughing._ There were tears rolling down their faces, they were laughing so hard.

"Oh, man, what a stupid name!" Hikaru laughed.

"The Zuka Club!" Serin said mockingly. "My stomach huuurrttss!"

"That's priceless!" Kaoru cried. "And they had those get-ups on under their uniforms!"

Kelsey sat Tamaki up, waving a hand in front of his face. "Senpai? He-llo? Anybody home?"

He just kept blathering on nonsense, throwing in the word "Zuka" every now and again.

"Hopeless," Kelsey murmured.

A familiar voice broke up the laughing fit. "You shouldn't underestimate the Zuka Club!" Then her laugh rang out through the music room as her platform rose from the floor.

Serin grinned, and I knew what she was thinking. _Oh, I have _got _to get me one o'those!_

Renge sat on her platform, a coffee cup and saucer in her hands. "I may not know much about instant coffee, but I'm fascinated with girls' schools." She took a drink from her cup, gagged, then turned and spit it back out. She turned back, daintily wiping off her mouth.

She clapped her hands together. "Saint Lobelia Academy! It is truly a woman's world there! The Zuka Club is a group of strong young maidens who consider women to be superior in every way. The club prides itself on its thirty-year history. It's a society of maidens, by maidens, for maidens! Zuka Club activities include maiden tea parties, the maiden debate forum, and -most importantly- musical revues performed by the society's top members!"

Kyoya adjusted his tie around his neck. He and the rest of the hosts had taken Renge's informational speech to change out of their knight cosplay. "You sure have a vast wealth of knowledge, Renge," he said. It actually sounded like he admired her for it for a moment, but I knew I was just imagining that edge in his voice.

"Well, I've always admired St. Lobelia's," Renge said.

WHY? ! I wanted to shout.

"I just couldn't go to school there, though! What would I do without any boys?"

Probably shrivel up and die, I thought, nodding a little.

And with that, Renge disappeared beneath the floor again, taking her "vast wealth of knowledge" with her.

Suzuran folded her hands in front of her. "A maiden's beauty...it means possessing a spirit pure enough to not give in to power, or to lust."

Hinagiku rested her chin on her fist, looking rather annoyed. "'As a girl you...' 'For a girl you...' We've had quite enough of all your opressive male contempt for womankind!"

"And our pride," Benibara said, "comes from having meaningful relationships based on equality." She chuckled. "...Because we're the same sex." She wrapped one arm each around Suzuran and Hinagiku. "And, yes, that includes relationships of love."

"Yeah, you tell them, Benio," Suzuran said.

"You're awesome, Benibara!" Hinagiku chimed in.

Ugh, kill me now! I thought. Kelsey and Serin had similar looks on their faces.

We looked over to see the hosts' reactions, and found that they were quite uninterested with it all. Kaoru was going through the bags of coffee, Hikaru was playing on a handheld video game system, Honey was watching Hikaru play, Kyoya was sitting on the arm of the couch reading a book, and Mori was swinging at the air with his sword. And where was our fearless leader Tamaki? I'll get to him in a minute.

Kaoru sighed. "Whatever, we're so over it."

"Why don't you gals just scram?" Hikaru suggested.

Please, I thought, desperate.

"I find it hard to believe that you silly boys have nothing to say about our sublime female love," Hinagiku said, sounding like she was going to burst out laughing at any moment. And, in fact, she did.

Serin looked like she had a few choice words running through her mind. And, knowing her, she most likely did.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Hikaru asked no one in particular.

"Hey, I haven't seen this one before," Kaoru said, looking at one of the packages of instant coffee. "I guess it's a new one."

Suzuran raised her hand, cupping Benibara's face in it. "You should feel sorry for them, Hinagiku. They're patented host skills don't work on us. Now they're all flustered and they don't know what to do with themselves!"

"True," Benibara said, smiling. "I'm glad we decided to perform here. It was fun to sneak a peak at the notorious Ouran Host Club."

Honey turned to his fellow hosts. "Hey, guys, are we really notorious?"

"Yeah," Mori replied, resting his sword up against his shoulder.

Benibara suddenly turned to us, then walked closer. She put her hand by my head on the wall behind me, leaning in close. "And to think they're dragging these sweet young maidens down with them." She put her hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye.

It was one of those many times when I wished that Serin would just grab someone and Sparta-kick them off something. Either that, or that Kelsey would go all _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_ on them. Yeah, something like that.

Benibara spun back around to face the hosts, clenching her fist in determination. "The Host Club's president may be a pretty little halfer," she said, walking back over to stand between her fellow club members, "but he shouldn't be using his looks to create a ficticious romance! Attempting to fool the heart of a pure young maiden is demeaning! Your so-called 'club activites' are nothing more than debasing macho fantasies! I promise you...we will bring you guys down! The Ouran Host Club will be abolished!"

The three of them raised their hands in a familiar salute. "All hail Zuka Club!"

Seems the Nazis have returned, I though dryly. Fantastic.

Kyoya stood and pushed up his glasses, a strangely pleased grin on his face. "I see. I understand your concern." He looked at them. "But do you think maybe...we could finish this later?"

I sighed. That's Kyoya for you, trying to reschedule a battle. Ever the politician...

"Are you saying you're not going to face us?" Benibara asked.

"Not at all," Kyoya replied. He gestured towards a bed that sat a few feet away. "It's just that our president is still bed-ridden from the initial culture shock."

Yes, Tamaki was passed out in the bed, his teddy bear next to him. He would stir occasionally, muttering something about the "scary Zuka Club."

I think Kelsey put it best. He was hopeless.

"You see, Tama-chan is having his nappy-time now," Honey said.

Then there was the way Honey put it. Take your pick.

"Wake him up!" Benibara demanded.

"'Scuse me."

We all looked at Haruhi.

"I made some coffee. Would you ladies like some?"

I wanted to facepalm. Haruhi had actually made coffee for these three crazies? ...I guess that was Haruhi for you.

"Why, yes!" Benibara said, smiling and putting her hand to her head dramatically. "Aren't you the sweetest thing?"

They each took a cup from the tray Haruhi was holding.

"You're a real pearl among swine!" Suzuran said. She turned and smiled at us. "And of course I mean all four of you."

"You know, coffee made by a maiden always has a more fragrant aroma," Benibara said.

"But this is just instant," Haruhi replied.

"Y'know, she probably wouldn't like to hear this... But that Benibara is actually quite a bit like Tamaki," Kelsey whispered.

We laughed quietly.

"You should tell her," Serin whispered back. "She'll have a cow."

We laughed again.

Maybe it was a club president thing to be over-dramatic and such.

Hinagiku giggled. "How 'bout the seven of us have a little tea party!"

We heard something that sounded like sheets being thrown back, and looked to see that Tamaki had shot up from where he'd been laying. He jumped up and began storming over to where we were standing. (Oh, and he'd magically changed back into his school uniform. Don't ask me how. It seemed the hosts had mad costume-changing skills.)

"You girls have it all wrong!" he shouted. "Don't you see there's nothing to be gained in a romantic relationship between two women? ! If that were the case, then why did God create Adam and Eve? !"

Suddenly, another banana peel appeared on the floor. Right in front of Tamaki. Of course he stepped on it and slipped, falling forward. The finger he'd been using to point at the Zuka Club members landed right in Hinagiku's steaming cup of instant coffee. Also of course, he flailed back, crying out in pain, holding his hand tightly. His finger was bright red. Honey immediately ran over and started blowing on it.

We sighed. Yep, hopeless.

Kelsey exhaled and walked over to her school bag, pulling something out. She walked back over to Tamaki and knelt down next to him. "You've really gotta be more careful, senpai." What'd she'd grabbed out of her bag was a small roll of bandages.

I could see a light blush on Tamaki's face as Kelsey bandaged up his finger. I had to admit, she _did_ look pretty cute while doing it. She had this face she made when she was concentrating on something (or trying _not_ to focus on something else). She stuck her tongue out of one side of her mouth a little bit, and her eyes were wide open, focused on what she was doing. It made me laugh nearly every time.

Tamaki looked down at his now-bandaged finger as Kelsey leaned back. "Thanks, Kelsey." He looked at her. "Do you always carry bandages around with you?"

She blushed a little and smiled. "Well, uh... Yeah, I do. I'm a little more clumsy than I'll ever admit, so I like to be prepared. I'd actually run out of them, but the supermarket was giving them away with the purchase of instant coffee."

Serin smiled. "You can always get free stuff at the supermarket."

Tamaki blinked at us. "Free stuff?"

Benibara walked closer, stopping behind Kelsey. "This little conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere."

Kelsey blushed, looking down at the ground. In fact, she looked ready to cry.

Okay, I thought. Now I _really_ wanna kill this chick.

Suddenly, Benibara grabbed onto Kelsey's arm and tugged her up onto her feet. Then she pulled her into her, one hand holding one of Kelsey's, and the other on Kelsey's back.

We all just started in silence for a moment.

"Now that we know what's going on..." Benibara raised her head and looked at Tamaki and the rest of the hosts. "...we can't allow these maidens to stay here! We'll prepare their paperwork, and have them transferred to St. Lobelia's immediately! And we will welcome them into the Zuka Club!"

Everyone's eyes widened. Even Mori's and Kyoya's.

Welcomed into the Zuka Club? I was horrified at the possibility.

Kelsey jumped away from Benibara. "Now hold on a minute!"

"I think there's been some misunderstandings here," Haruhi jumped in.

Kelsey laughed a little. "I mean, first of all, you called Tamaki-senpai a 'halfer'!"

"'Cause he is a halfer."

We turned and looked at Honey.

Tamaki scratched the back of his head, blushing a little.

"He's half French, half Japanese!"

"That explains...so much," I said quietly.

"Not helping!" Kelsey hissed.

"Well, uh, anyway!" Serin said quickly. "I don't think it's fair to pick on the Host Club just because you don't think they have the same history you do!"

"We hardly even have a history," Hikaru said. "We were just founded two years ago."

"Yeah, the boss created it whenever he started high school here," Kaoru added.

Serin looked ready to Sparta-kick them. And off something really high, too.

Haruhi sighed. "Be that as it may, saying their club activities are only held to satisfy their appetities is just...wrong."

"Right," I said. "I mean, it's not like the Host Club is charging their guests or anything."

"Well, I wouldn't call it a 'charge'..."

Kyoya-senpai... I threatened in my head. I should go shove you down into the floor where Renge's platform disappears. Far, far down there.

"We _do _have a points system. We offer priority services based on the winning bids of auctions held on our website."

I think we were all ready to just collapse onto the floor and die. The hosts were just digging themselves in deeper and deeper.

"Hey, check this out, Haruhi," Kyoya continued, unaware of our current mental states as he scrolled down a web page on his laptop. "Your used mechanical pencil just sold with a winning bid of 30,000 yen. Good for you."

Haruhi jumped over to look at the computer screen. "What? !" she cried. "I thought I lost that pencil!"

"Why didn't you tell us about this before, Kyoya-senpai?" I demanded.

"We didn't know you were collecting money!" Serin chimed in.

"So you thought we were all just working here as volunteers?" He pushed up his glasses. "We're not so into self-gratification as you seem to be. While it's not much because of the expense of organizing events, we happen to make a small profit from the online auctions."

"You can't sell other people's things without asking permission!" Kelsey said. "That's stealing!"

"It wasn't stealing," the twins said. "Haruhi dropped that pencil on the floor!"

We all spun and glared at the twins, who assumed their, "Huh? Wasn't us. We're just over here drinking coffee" positions.

Tamaki jumped over to us, sobbing. "I'm sorry, girls!" He grabbed Haruhi by the shoulders. "It's not like we were hiding it from you!" He held up a mechanical pencil. "Here, Haruhi, you can have mine! It's got a cute teddy bear on it!"

"Senpai, I don't want your pencil," Haruhi replied flatly.

He turned to the rest of us. "Then to make it up to you, how 'bout I do this?" He raised his arm up in the air, putting his other hand over his heart. "I'll tell you the secrets to my success and my fondest memories!"

Kelsey sighed. "Not to be rude, senpai, but I don't think all of us are really interested in that information."

Tamaki jumped back in sorrowful shock. "Not...interested?" And he fled away to a corner to sulk.

Translation that Tamaki obviously didn't get: "They may not be, but I'm interested! Tell me, tell me!"

So oblivious, I thought.

The Zuka Club girls came over, looking worried, annoyed, and pleased all at once.

"Oh, you poor dears!" Suzuran said. "I can't believe they've been deceiving you."

"Hey, you all should just ditch these losers and come with us!" Hinagiku suggested.

"Hold on, Hinagiku," Benibara said calmly. "These young maidens have had quite a day."

No thanks to you three, I thought at them.

"We'll give you some time to think about it. We'll come back for your answer tomorrow." Benibara put a hand on Serin's shoulder, patting it lightly. Then she and the other girls turned and headed toward the door. "Well then...adieu."

The three of them spun out of the room, laughing heartily. The doors to Music Room 3 closed after them.

We looked after them for a few moments, then snapped our heads over to look at the hosts.

They all jumped, blinking at us.

"We'd better be going," Haruhi said.

"Yeah," Kelsey said. "We've got some thinking to do."

The hosts looked at us nervously. All except Kyoya. For whatever reason, he was taking pictures. Yeah, I have no idea.

At any rate, we collected our things and left the room. We all heaved a collective sigh as we walked down the hallway. We were silent, occasionally glancing at each other or sighing again.

I looked at Kelsey. "What are you thinking?"

She exhaled. "I'm thinking the old me wouldn't even give this a second thought. A year ago, Lobelia would've been my kind of place."

We all raised an eyebrow at her.

"So are you saying...you've kissed a girl?" Serin asked.

Kelsey blushed. "Let's just say I drank _a lot_ back then. I did a lot of things with people I'm not proud of."

Haruhi looked up thoughtfully. "I've kissed a girl..."

Now we looked at her.

"What?" Kelsey asked incredulously. "When? !"

"Host Club party. Big mix-up thing." Haruhi sighed. "I'll tell you sometime..."

We were silent again as we continued on out of the school.

I know I said I wanted a break from the hosts, I thought, but I don't think this is exactly what I had in mind.

**3_3_3_3_3**

Tamaki sobbed, staring at his fellow hosts. "Why did you have to tell them the tru-uth?" he wailed. "You just added fuel to the fire!"

"The facts are the facts," Kyoya said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe we should've asked before we sold Haru-chan's pencil on the internet," Honey said. "Not to mention all the things of the other girls' that we sold."

"Yeah," Kaoru said, thinking. "For all we know, any one of those things could've been family keepsakes or something."

"Nah," Hikaru said, shaking his head. "Most of them were freebies given out at electronic stores and supermarkets and junk. Nothing really special."

Tamaki walked over to one of the windows, thinking. "Gentlemen," he said, "just think about it. Haruhi may be basically indifferent, but, given the choice, we know she tends to prefer men's clothing. And besides, when she first joined the Host Club, didn't she tell us that getting fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be so bad? And we all know what tomboys Serin, EmiShae, and Kelsey can be..." Tamaki shuddered, a chill running down his spine. "Why didn't I see this before? Perhaps they would be a better match for the girls... Maybe they'd be better off...with the Zuka Club."

Everyone started, realizing that Tamaki did have a point.

"Yeah..." Kaoru said. "They're perfect for a girls' school!"

"They're going to transfer away? !" Honey cried in shock.

"What're we going to do? !" Hikaru asked nervously.

"They're all so smart that passing Lobelia's entrance exams and scholarship tests will be a piece of cake!" Kaoru said.

"And Lobelia Academy has the money to pay off Haruhi's eight million yen debt," Kyoya pointed out. "And of course everyone would know Haruhi was a girl there, so there wouldn't be anything tying the other girls to the Host Club anymore."

"Calm down, gentlemen!" Tamaki jumped in. "It'll be alright! Listen to what I have to say!" He turned to face them, raising his bandaged pointer finger. "I...have a secret plan." _I'm not going to lose her- I mean...any of them..._


	16. Freebie

**Hello, all! As Emi and Scree know, I had a bit of a crisis earlier today, but it's all out of the way now! I'm terribly sorry if I worried you two. And sorry if I sounded crazy or...strange. O.o Heck, when don't I? XD A'ight, before we get on with Chapter 16, I just have a little message to post.**

**On a few of my stories, I've been receiving some very constructive criticism. While I welcome any kind of review, and am happy to get those that have suggestions for improvement, sometimes they get me down. They shouldn't, butyeah. Anyway, I would like to thank the reviewer who left me the constructive criticism. Yes, it's true that the OC EmiShae is the **_**main**_**-main character, but, technically, all three OCs are the main characters. I'm sorry if you feel like I'm focusing more on the other two than on her. I'm not trying to. The OC Kelsey has a story and a past that is pivotal to every other character, so that's why she's getting so much story time. As for Scree...well, she's Emi's best friend! Of course she's going to be in it a lot. There is a reason that Emi's relationship with a certain bespectacled host hasn't progressed much, and there's a reason why that will (hopefully) be shown soon. And sometimes I can't get very creative with dialogue, or feel that the characters would say something like the same thing as Haruhi in certain situations, which is why it seems like a rewrite in some places. I hope it's not sounding like I'm making excuses, and I thank you very much for you review. I really do.**

**Thank you to everyone who left reviews for me! I love reading all of them so much. :) Now, on with the story! Emi, Scree, enjoy!**

**-XVI. Freebie-**

Cheers and screams filled the auditorium as the members of the Zuka Club took their final bow on the stage. The Ouran students looked at the Lobelia students (and their Benibara Fan Club shirts) curiously. If any of them had ever thought that the girls who were obsessed with the Host Club were insane, the Lobelia fangirls blew them out of the water.

Benibara chuckled to herself as she and her fellow club members left the auditorium. They walked across the courtyard, their heels clacking on the stone beneath their feet.

"I thought today's performance went extremely well!" Hinagiku said happily.

"Our singing and acting skills are admired wherever we go," Suzuran chimed in, a proud smile on her face.

(This might've been due to the fact that their fans followed them everywhere, but they didn't really take that into account.)

"True," Benibara said. "But the main event has yet to begin, right, girls?"

The three girls smirked, thinking of the four that they were sure were ready to leave Ouran and come with them to Lobelia.

"Right," Suzuran and Hinagiku said.

**1_1_1_1_1**

Since the Cultural Club Festival was still going on, all of Ouran was still without afternoon classes. This, unfortunately, left us with ample time to think about our current situation.

We all looked down at the floor as we walked down the hallway towards the Club room. We glanced at each other occasionally, mixed expressions on our faces. Apprehension, sadness, twinges of anger, and a whole heap of uncertainty.

There was sort of a silent understanding among us. If Haruhi decided to leave, that was her deal. But if any one of the three of us decided to go to Lobelia, the other two would follow no matter what. It wasn't that we didn't care about Haruhi (she was our friend, too), but Haruhi seemed more like the independent type. And she wouldn't have wanted us to leave and put ourselves in a situation that made us uncomfortable. Actually, all of us felt that way, but we also had our loyalties to think about. So it was a silent understanding, albeit a somewhat complex one.

I still can't believe all that stuff we found out yesterday, I thought. I mean, really? Collecting money off of stuff they auction online? It was probably dumb stuff like a cake plate Honey-senpai ate off of, or a teacup Tamaki-senpai had used, or one of Kyoya-senpai's glasses cleaning cloths. Things like that. But, of course, the girls here fall for that kind of stuff. Except for us... Maybe that's because we're with the Host Club so much, so they're not really like "celebrities" to us.

We'd been going to the Host Club for quite a while at that point. Months. Were we really prepared to just turn our backs and leave?

We looked up and stopped when we saw three now-familiar figures standing in front of the doors to the Club room.

Benibara gave a half-wave. "Hello, young maidens."

"We've come for your decision!" Hinagiku said with a smile. "Are you prepared to leave?"

Suzuran clenched her fist in front of her, a determined look on her face. "We're ready to confront those Ouran Host Club idiots and set things straight once and for all!"

We blinked at them.

"Um...set what straight, exactly?" I asked.

The three of them stepped forward. "That you should come with us!" She grabbed Kelsey by the hand and started spinning her around as if they were dancing.

Hinagiku grabbed onto me, as did Suzuran to Haruhi. I looked around as Hinagiku spun me. Serin was hiding behind a nearby pillar, out of range of the Zuka Club. I glared at her. She mouthed back, "Sparta-kick."

"You all should go to school with your own kind!" Benibara declared.

My eyes widened. If the Zuka Club is our "own kind," I thought, then we're all in big trouble!

They finally stopped spinning us just as I thought I was going to fall over, and Serin came back to stand by us.

The seven of us looked at the doors to the Club room. Suzuran and Hinagiku reached for the door handles.

Well, I thought, here goes nothing.

The doors swung open into the room. It was dark, but not pitch-black. The room appeared to be empty, except for a large mass in the middle of the room where the Host Club members normally would've been sitting or standing.

I was sure one of us was about to say something, or ask where the hosts were, but one part of the mass -a person- stood up before we could. Then, to our surprise, it started singing.

"_Ouran!_" The voice sounded familiar, but falsetto. Like it was a girl who had a deep voice trying to sing in a high voice.

"_Ouran!_" The second voice was nealy identical to the first. The figure was also the same height and...well, shape.

"_Ouran!_" The third had a deep voice -clearly a guy.

"_Ouran!_" The fourth sounded a little more like a guy, too.

"_Ouran!_" The fifth was very high-pitched and very _off_-pitch.

The lights suddenly flashed on, and I threw my hands up to shield my eyes. Once I'd blinked away the shock, I lowered my hands. And wished I'd kept them up.

"_Ouran!_" The final and sixth figure stood.

Our eyes scanned over the group as they all sang together.

"_Host Club...welcomes you!_"

All of us (even the Zuka Club) gaped at the hosts in utter shock and surprise.

Yes, it was the hosts. Wearing opulent, 18th-century dresses, long hair extensions, and enough makeup to make them actually look like women. In other words, cross-dressing.

At least Mori still had some sense. He was the only one _not_ dressed as a woman. But he did have this big...feather-y, tail-like thing. And a tambourine. ...So maybe he didn't have _all_ his sense, but he had enough not to cross-dress! ...And I don't think Kyoya was wearing any makeup (opting for a fan to hide his face instead), but he was still crazy, as far as I was concerned!

"Oh, girls!" Tamaki cried. "Welcome back!"

Okay, so if they stayed _quiet_, they could've passed for girls.

"Girls, girls!" Honey called, waving his arms, Usa-chan in one hand. "Look! I'm a pretty princess now! Aren't I cute?"

We all stared at him. Why did he sound happy about this development?

Benibara cried out in anger and disgust. "What is the meaning of this? ! Are you trying to make fun of womankind? !"

If they are, I thought, they're not doing a very good job of it.

"What?" Tamaki asked, surprise in his eyes (that were now surrounded by heavy eyeshadow). "No, that's not it at all! Everything is going according to plan." He spread his arms wide. "Our strategy is guaranteed to make even a crying child smile!"

Or be scarred for life, I thought.

"It's the Freebie Campaign!" Tamaki said happily.

We couldn't even think of asking what he meant. The shock was still settling in. We hadn't yet felt the full extent of our injuries, so to speak. ...Okay, so that's how Kelsey might've put it, and then she might've put in that it was the adrenaline that was keeping us in shock, but I was feeling no adrenaline whatsoever. In fact, I wasn't feeling much _oxygen_ coursing through my bloodstream right then.

"My dears, you all have lived sheltered lives at Lobelia," Tamaki continued.

Sheltered from guys, yeah, I thought.

"So you might not know...that commoners are weak. They have a weakness for free things. Haruhi, Kelsey, EmiShae, Serin, you may be distracted by the Zuka Club, but join us, and you not only gain a club full of brothers, but sisters as well!"

We still couldn't say anything. Brothers and sisters?

"See, this way, you experience feminine bonding while staying in the Host Club!" He twirled closer to us. "Isn't it a great idea?" He rested his hand against his cheek. "Aren't I pretty?"

The twins jumped forward, fans in hand. "We're the Hitachiin sisters! Which one of us is prettier?"

Hikaru fanned himself. "I'm just teasing you."

Kaoru made an attempt to giggle in what was supposed to be "coquette fashion." Let's just say that it didn't work.

Honey waved his arms again. "Listen! Listen!" He clutched Usa-chan to his chest. "You can call me Big Sis from now on."

Kyoya and Mori remained silent, Kyoya just holding his fan in front of his face. But Mori smiled (a real smile), and shook his tambourine.

I glanced at Kelsey and Serin. They looked like they would need therapy after this. Lots of it. Haruhi...probably not. As for myself...I wasn't quite sure yet.

"Why you...! Do you idiots thing you can really win them over like this? !" Benibara was practically seething, so was so angry. "I've had enough of your fooling around!" she yelled.

The four of us looked at each other for a brief moment. Then we had to look away as we burst out laughing. We used each other for support as we tried not to fall on the ground. Haruhi and Kelsey failed and fell to the ground, still laughing. Tears streamed down our faces, we were laughing so hard.

Everyone stared at us, probably wondering why we were laughing.

"I can't breaaatthee!" Serin laughed.

"What the heck are you guys trying to do? !" Kelsey cried.

"I always knew you guys were insane," I said.

"But GEEZ!" Haruhi added.

We laughed harder. After a few moments, we started to calm down, wiping our eyes and catching our breath.

The twins and Honey popped up in front of us. "Are we really that funny?"

That made us laugh all over again.

"Call me big sister!" they said, chasing us back and forth in front of the door. "Come on, do it! Just say it!"

We probably sounded like we were dying, we were laughing so hard. Even if we'd wanted to call them our big sisters, we wouldn't have been able to get enough air in our lungs to do it.

"Big sister! Say it! Pllleeeeaasseee?"

"Cut it out!" Kelsey cried. "My stomach huuurts!"

At that point, we all took deep breaths, trying to calm down so we could really figure out what was going on here.

"What on _earth_ has gotten into you guys?" I asked.

Hikaru folded his arms above his head. "We did this because we don't want any of you to leave."

We looked at them. So...we meant so much to them that they'd act this crazy just to get us to stay? ...Seemed a little backwards, but what was ever normal in the Host Club?

We smiled at each other as those of us that had fallen on the floor picked ourselves up and straightened our clothes and hair.

"Well, maidens," Benibara said calmly, "have you made a choice?"

"Yes, we have," Serin said.

"Sorry, but your club's not for us," Haruhi said.

"And I don't think it ever will be," I murmured.

"We're fine right here." Kelsey smiled. "I think we always knew that we were never going to leave Ouran Academy."

We nodded with her.

The Zuka Club gasped, then just looked at us.

The hosts made scattered cheers and cries of happiness (Mori played his tambourine).

Tamaki looked ready to cry as he smiled at us. Then he looked away, thinking. He scooted over closer, pointing a finger at us. "Hold on! If you knew you weren't going to leave, then why did you act so angry yesterday?"

"How would you feel if someone stole something of yours and sold it on the internet?" Haruhi snapped.

Kelsey scratched the back of her head nervously. "I've done that..."

I shook my head. There's just no end to this, I thought.

"I really liked that mechanical pencil!" Haruhi continued. "It was easy to write with!"

"And who knows what of ours you've sold," Serin pointed out.

Tamaki hung his head. "I'm sorry..." He looked at Haruhi. "But I was nice and offered you my teddy bear pencil, and you said you didn't want it!"

Haruhi scoffed. "Yeah, and I still don't want it."

Tamaki turned to us. "Anyone?"

We shook our heads.

"Keep the pencil, senpai," Kelsey said.

He waved the pencil in front of us, as if this would make us want it more.

He seriously needs to take the makeup and the extensions and the dress off, I thought. All of them! It's freaking me out!

"We're not giving up on you four maidens."

We looked over at Benibara and the others.

"I swear this to you..." She looked at us. "Someday, we'll come and rescue you from this place! And, when we do, we'll abolish the Ouran Host Club!"

All of us just stared at them, not knowing how to respond to that. She made it sound like the Host Club was some sort of...evil organization that had to be done away with for the betterment of mankind. Knowing the Host Club, the whole idea sounded to silly to even comprehend.

Benibara smirked. "Well...adieu." She, Hinagiku, and Suzuran spun off out of the room, laughing.

Then we were the ones laughing when they slipped on perfectly placed banana peels in the hallway.

Kelsey looked at us. "I don't think we really need to worry about them."

Serin smirked. "You could take Benibara out with one punch, Kels."

Kelsey blushed a little. "I don't know about that..."

"Come on, she's a wimp! We should go challenge her right now!" Suddenly, Serin stopped and looked at the twins. "Did you two...?"

"What? Oh, the banana peels!" They started, waving their hands in front of them. "No, no, that wasn't us!"

As if on cue, the lights dimmed, and we heard a familiar motor powering up. Renge once again appeared on her platform, a chimpanzee at her side. Of all things.

"And so, a new rival has appeared," she said, peeling a banana. "The Zuka Club! After this, things are gonna get even more exciting! What's gonna happen to our beloved Host Club next?" She bit into the banana, smiling excitedly.

"Hey!" Tamaki shook his evening-glove-covered fist at Renge. "It's not your job to cook things up!"

Before I could even think up a thought in reply to that, Tamaki was on the floor. There was a banana peel at his feet, and I figured Renge's new pet had put it there.

Sneaky, I thought.

Kelsey may have been as weirded out and somewhat confused at what had just happened as Serin, Haruhi, and I, but she was still Kelsey. She gasped and looked at Tamaki. "Oh my goodness! Tamaki-senpai, are you alright?"

"Oh, he'll be fine," Renge assured, descending through the floor again. "His thick skull should protect his brain from any serious harm."

Kelsey stuck her tongue out at her as Renge, her platform, and her chimp disappeared.

"Where does that thing _go_?" Serin asked incredulously, staring at the place where Renge had been.

I shook my head. "Something tells me you shouldn't think about it too much, Serin. ...Serin?" I turned to look at her, then found that she was already across the room trying to figure out how Renge got the floor to open up like that.

I facepalmed. This was only the _tenth_ time it had happened. She'd just _now_ decided to go try to figure out how it worked?

I decided to leave Serin to her mystery. I knew I'd hear all about her frustrations later, anyway. I walked away and went to sit on a nearby couch, sighing heavily. This day's just been...crazy, I thought. And it's not even three o'clock yet.

"Despite what Renge said... Are you alright?"

I looked back over the couch at Tamaki and Kelsey, smiling to myself.

She reached a hand down and helped him up off the floor.

"Thanks," he said, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Sure," Kelsey said, taking her hand away and holding both her hands behind her back.

They looked at each other for several long moments.

"Thank you, senpai."

He looked at her curiously.

She smiled. "You went to such great lengths to keep us here, and, though I knew we weren't going to leave Ouran...well..." She smiled wider. "What you all did for us..." She laughed a little. "It makes me really happy, for some strange reason." She laughed some more, and it was laughter of pure joy -the kind that's incredibly contagious.

Obviously, because Tamaki was laughing with her, and I was trying my best not to laugh as well.

Kelsey exhaled, her laughter dying down. "Anyway...thank you, Tamaki-senpai." She smiled again. "But, honestly, if I ever see any of you dressed up like this again..."

"Don't worry," he said quickly. "I'm pretty sure we won't be doing this again. Not for some time, anyway."

Kelsey laughed. "Okay, go get out of that mess."

He smiled and nodded. "Right."

Kelsey walked over to the couch I was sitting on, still giggling quietly. She flopped down next to me, smiling contentedly.

"You seem...cheerful," I commented, smiling.

She sat up and smiled at me. "I couldn't possibly be anything else. A year ago, I was being kept in another group. Against my will. And they had me with addictions. Now...when there's a possibility of me leaving..." She laughed. "These guys dressed up in those ridiculous outfits, and did this humiliating thing just to make sure we wouldn't leave." She smiled at me. "You see what I'm getting at?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

One happy tear escaped her eye, and she laughed some more, leaning closer to hug me. "Today was awesome."

I laughed softly. "Indeed it was."

"DARN IT ALL!"

We looked over at Serin.

"Stupid Renge and her mystical platform! RENGE! I want the chimp! Send him back up!"

"Chill out, Serin," Kaoru said. "Yelling won't bring her back, you know it."

"Let her," Hikaru said, smirking. "This is entertaining."

"Oh...!" Serin glared at the twins. "Go throw a banana peel!"

Kelsey and I looked at each other and laughed. Then Kelsey jumped up to go see if she could help Serin.

Yes, I understood what Kelsey had said. She was now in a place where people wanted her to stay, not because they had control over her, but because they cared about her. She must've been feeling overwhelmed. When was the last time she had been shown that kind of affection by anyone? When was the last time she knew someone really cared?

I felt that I was as happy as she was, just seeing her that happy. Maybe it was because she could feel the emotions of people around her, but she had the kind of emotions (especially happiness) that were purely contagious. Whatever she was feeling, you wanted to feel it with her. It was just the effect she had on people.

I looked up when I heard footsteps approaching, and my smile fell. I folded my hands in my lap and looked away from Kyoya (who was now back in his school uniform). "Hello," I said simply.

Kyoya cleared his throat. "Hello."

We hadn't really spoken since our argument in Okinawa, and I wasn't exactly sure what we had left to talk about. I mean, yeah, the choice words I'd had for him were still lingering in my mind, but this wasn't the time for that.

I glanced at him, then looked away. "Was there...something you wanted?" I tried.

"Oh...not really," he said. He exhaled heavily. "I just wanted to... I wanted to apologize, Miss EmiShae."

I snapped my head over to look at him. "...For what?"

"For what I said to you when we were in Okinawa. That was uncalled for. I apologize."

I blinked at him, then looked away. "No..." I nodded a little. "No, you...you had some good points in what you said." The very words were spraining my tongue. "I am a bit reckless sometimes, but only when it concerns my own life. Not anyone else's. That may seem foolish to you, but I already explained why I am the way I am. I told you how situations like that make me feel." I was doing my very best not to just jump up and say something like, _And how dare you try to convince Tamaki that his feelings for Kelsey are nothing!_ and go on that whole rant. This wasn't the time for that either.

"Yes, you did. And I know now that I need to...respect that you feel that way."

I blinked at him. Now I was really confused. He was deciding to respect me? All of a sudden?

"I may not understand the motivation behind your seemingly reckless actions, but...I am willing to try to respect them. Just so long as you don't try to die in the process."

I looked at him, then found myself nodding. "So are you saying you don't want me to die?"

He tilted his head, the lights overhead making a glare on his glasses.

Shoot! I thought, wanting to grab his glasses off his face.

"Good day, Miss EmiShae." He turned and walked away before I could reply.

I leaned against the back of the couch. What on earth, I wondered, was _that_ all about? First he saves my life, then lectures me on how stupid I was for putting my life in danger in the first place, and now he's respecting my reckless actions? How can you even do that? If they're reckless, that usually means they're _bad_.

Gah! I thought, running my hands through my hair in frustration. That guy makes me so...annoyed! He's just so annoying! Yeah, Serin's calling a chimp and Kelsey's happy as a clam, but _I'm_ over here with annoying Mr. Glinty-Glasses and his stupid _respect_! AH! I swear, someday, I'm gonna snap and kill this guy. Then I'll raid his house for his journal and figure out what the HECK goes on inside his head!

...Okay, so maybe I'll just knock him out before I do that. Less jail time that way. Kelsey could help me out with that. Maybe. Maybe Serin will Sparta-kick him from a dangerous height of my choosing.

I know. Neither of those sound very promising. But a girl can dream, right?

So we didn't get our break from the Host Club. And I was strangely okay with that. Maybe we'd just come to the conclusion that our lives would be even more crazy without the Host Club than they were with them. I still felt like I needed a vacation, but I also felt like it could wait.

I looked over and Kelsey and the twins laughing as Serin tried to pry up a piece of the floor in search of Renge's Secret Otaku Domain.

I laughed to myself. Yeah, I thought. Time off can wait.


	17. Just in the Neighborhood

**OMIGOSH *falls to ground* I've been slacking so much lately, mleeehhh. But, fear not! School is now over (I passed my second semester of college with flying colors *cough* excepthistory'causeI'maslacker *cough*, and now it's onto *theme song* my summer job! ...I'm turning into Haruhi, I swear.**

**Anywhoo, I am very sorry that it's been so long since I've updated T^T To be completely honest, I was starting to lose some of my motivation for writing... And then I started watching the Japanese dub of Ouran, and it's all good! XD I just finished writing out the three-chapter Wonderland arch the other day :3 I can't wait to post those chapters! I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ALL READ THOSE CHAPTERS! :D I may have to post them all in one day XD**

**But, until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :3**

**Oh, I wanted to take a quick second to thank the anonymous reviewer (schnook) for their constructive criticism. I've taken your suggestions into consideration, and I think they'll help me improve! Thank you so much!**

**Emi, Scree, please forgive me! I didn't forget, and I've been wanting to update for soo long! Blame finals, moving, and the lack of internet in my bedroom. T.T Love you both! Hope you like this chapter!**

**-XVII. Just in the Neighborhood-**

It was a warm, sunny Saturday. The birds were singing, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and everybody seemed happy.

So what did Haruhi and Kelsey want to do on this oh-so happy day? Go grocery shopping.

...Yeah, I don't know, they said there was a sale or something. Serin and I were going to stay in and watch movies, but grocery shopping just sounded _so_ much better. Okay, honestly, our parents just wanted us to get out and get some sun, so they sent us along with Haruhi and Kelsey. There are times when I really don't like my parents. ...This wasn't one of them, but I was miffed nonetheless.

"I take it neither of you ever have to do the grocery shopping?" Haruhi asked as she looked over the scribbled-out list in her hand, then at the shelves of items in front of her.

"Obviously," Serin said, shaking her head.

"Omigosh, you guys!"

We looked at Kelsey.

She held up a package, a huge smile on her face. "Bendy straws!"

We blinked at her.

Then I hopped over to her and said. "The bendy kind?"

Serin smacked me. "No, moron, straight bendy straws."

I rubbed my head. "I was just making sure, geez!"

Kelsey laughed as she put the bendy straws in the basket on her arm. "I never get bendy straws anymore."

"I've noticed that," Serin said. "All the restaurants are going with un-bendy straws now!"

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked, shocked.

We laughed, and Haruhi shook her head, obviously trying to pretend that she'd never seen us before in her life.

Kelsey slung her arm around Haruhi's neck. "Aw, come on, Haruhi! Lighten up!" She smiled at her. "After I pay for my stuff, I'll let you have a bendy straw...!"

Haruhi raised an eyebrow at her. "Scary thing is, you're starting to sound like Tamaki-senpai."

Kelsey gave her a look, and we laughed. She hmph-ed. "I was just trying to be nice and introduce a little more color into your life. With neon-colored bendy straws."

"Brilliant," Haruhi said dryly.

Kelsey rolled her eyes and looked at a list of her own.

"Remind me again how you two are friends?" Serin asked.

Kelsey and Haruhi shrugged. "I dunno. Why do you ask?" they said in unison.

Serin and I laughed.

"Never mind..." Serin said.

I looked at Haruhi again. She was actually dressed like a girl that day. She was wearing blue jeans, sandals, a white T-shirt, and a pink sundress over the shirt and jeans. A khaki bag was slung over her shoulder, and she had a red barrette pinning her bangs out of her face.

Then I looked at Kelsey. She was wearing a green-khaki skirt that hit just above her knees and an off-white T-shirt. She had a small black bag over her shoulder, and black slip-ons on her feet. And, of course, on her arms were over-elbow fingerless gloves—black.

I had a strange wonderment about her gloves. I wondered if she just had a whole drawer full of them. She seemed to have a pair that went with everything. But I guess those are the kind of steps she had to take to hide her arms. Or rather the scars _on_ her arms.

Serin was wearing jean capris that had embroidered flowers near the cuffs, white sneakers, and a light green T-shirt. Her long hair was pulled back into a braid on the back of her head, and it was tied on the bottom with a blue hair tie. She had her wallet stuffed in her back pocket, and her phone in her front pocket. She rarely carried a purse, so this was normal.

And I, last of all, was wearing blue jeans, a pale blue shirt, and my old faded-grey sneakers. I had a white purse over my shoudler, and my blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail with a black hair tie. I had to keep brushing the few stray strands that seemed to never want to be tied back out of my face, but this was as normal as Serin's lack of purse, so I didn't care.

And _why_ am I taking up valuable story space to tell you what we all were wearing? Well, you'll see.

Kelsey skipped away and went down another aisle. A moment later, we heard her call, "Who wants Pocky?" in a singsong voice.

"Ooh! Me!" I called back, running over to her.

"That's all you ever get, Kelsey!" Haruhi said, as if she were scolding her.

"Do not!" Kelsey stuck her tongue out at her. "I get a box once every two weeks, and the rest of my groceries once a week. So there."

Haruhi rolled her eyes.

So twenty minutes, three boxes of Pocky, and 100 bendy straws later, we'd all made our purchases and were heading back out to Kelsey's car. Since Kelsey was the only one who'd bought refrigerated-slash-frozen items, we decided to go back to her apartment first to drop her groceries off. Then we'd figure out where to hang for the rest of the day and whatnot.

Well...that was the plan, anyway.

We pulled up outside Kelsey's apartment complex and found some guests standing outside. And just who were these guests? Why, none other than the Host Club. Wonderful, I know. (Notice the sarcasm.) Well, most of them were standing. Tamaki was pacing. Oh, and did I mention they'd all driven up in their fancy foreign cars? Yeah. That was certainly subtle.

"What the crap are they doing here?" Kelsey asked incredulously, the question directed at no one in particular.

"I don't know," Haruhi said. "But I'm sure glad they didn't show up at my place!"

Kelsey gave her a look, and Haruhi smiled. Kelsey then proceeded to bang her forehead on the steering wheel and groan.

"I suppose it would be rude to tell them to get the heck out of here?" she asked.

Serin looked at her. "Something tells me you're thinking stronger language than that."

"You'd be right. In Japanese and in French."

From knowing Kelsey, I learned that bilinguals (and trilinguals and on up) are to be greatly feared. Trust me.

She sighed. "Well. Might as well get this over with..."

I wonder how they found her apartment, I thought as I got out of the car. I narrowed my eyes at the back of Kyoya's head. Mr. Glinty-Glasses is behind this, I thought. There's no question about it!

We got Kelsey's groceries out of the trunk, then started toward the sidewalk where the hosts were standing. Their conversation reached our ears as we got closer.

Tamaki slumped over to Kyoya, putting his hands on his shoulders and shaking him a little. "Why? Why, Kyoya? Why'd you have to bring these idiots with us? Especially those two doppelgängers!" he cried, pointing over his shoulder at the twins.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses calmly. (Of course.) "Well, you see, I knew you didn't have the courage to come here alone—"

Like you would've let him, I thought.

"—so I thought it'd be best if everyone came along."

Anything to keep Kelsey and Tamaki-senpai from having time alone, right? I thought. I was getting more and more angry at Kyoya by the second, and we hadn't even looked at each other yet.

Kyoya then put a hand on one each of the twins' shoulders, acting like he was going to guide them away. "Okay, let's go home. I guess I underestimated our great leader..."

"Whaat?" the twins near-shouted. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Tamaki sped over to them, his hands on Kyoya's shoulders again. "Don't leave!" he begged. "I don't want to be alone."

Man up, senpai! I thought at him.

He then turned to the group, all of them oblivious to us standing near them. "Now, listen up, men! Don't you forget! We must be polite! This is just a casual, we-just-happened-to-be-in-the-neighborhood kind of visit. We're not here to judge Kelsey's lifestyle in any way! The words 'cramped', 'shabby', and 'run-down' are absolutely forbidden!"

The twins and Honey saluted. "Right! Yes, sir!"

"Would it be immoral to use my bendy straws as projectile weapons?" Kelsey whispered.

We tried not to laugh.

"Save the munitions, my friend," Serin said, smirking. "Things might get interesting even without them..."

Kelsey sighed.

Tamaki continued. "And don't say anything that might offend Kelsey that might make her ask us to leave."

"In that case, be sure not to mention the sickly plants and the boring fish."

The hosts (except for Kyoya and Mori, naturally) gasped and looked at Kelsey, then at the rest of us.

"K-Kelsey..." Tamaki stuttered. "Girls, y... You're all here..."

I wasn't sure if we should've been offended by the slight disappointment in his voice. Speaking for myself, I was both giddy and irked at it. Weird, I know, but that's how I felt!

"Yep, they are," Kelsey said. "Might I ask what _you_ all are doing here?"

A few moments of silence followed. The hosts were looking us up and down, taking in those outfits I described to you just a minute ago.

The twins, Tamaki, and Honey all gave us a thumbs-up. "Those clothes are pretty cute!" they said together.

Kelsey blushed and started tugging on her shirt with her free hand. She looked down at her feet, glancing at us.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, Serin smiled as she said a "Thanks, guys", and I just looked down at myself thinking, _Seriously?_ But then the hosts were certifiably crazy, so it worked.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Kelsey mumbled, fiddling with her glasses. She took a deep breath and looked back at the hosts. "Like I said, what are you all doing here at my apartment building?" she asked.

Tamaki gasped. "I knew it! You're angry!" He spun and pointed at the twins. "This is all your fault!"

"What'd we do?" they asked in shock.

Kelsey laughed. "No, no, I'm not angry." I saw her look at the bendy straws in the bag she was holding. "Per se..."

Tamaki and the twins continued their argument, and that's when a short, middle-aged woman appeared next to Kelsey. "Psst! Kelsey!" she whispered.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Yamashita," Kelsey said, bowing a little.

"Kelsey's landlady," Haruhi whispered in explanation.

We nodded.

"Those men are driving such fancy foreign cars!" Mrs. Yamashita sounded frantic. "They're not Yakuza, are they?"

It was all I could do not to laugh at this woman's notion. The Host Club? Part of the mafia? Yeah, right!

Kelsey's eyes widened as she pushed up her glasses. "Oh, no, they're not, I'm sure of—"

"Shall I go inside and call the police?"

For a moment, Kelsey looked like she was going to tell her to do it. But then Tamaki jumped in and it was all over.

"Excuse me," Tamaki said sweetly. "I'm Suoh, a friend of Kelsey's. It's so nice to meet you."

Mrs. Yamashita blinked at him for a moment, then smiled and said, "Really? Well, aren't you just adorable!" Then she _giggled_.

I wanted to facepalm. Tamaki had no shame. Neither did this woman, either, really.

"We're just stopping by," Tamaki continued in the same sweet tone. "We didn't mean to disturb anyone. I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about a thing!" Mrs. Yamashita insisted, giggling again. She leaned over to Kelsey. "I'll bring up some snacks later for you and your friends." She giggled once more as she walked away and said, "Bye now! You kids have fun!"

Kelsey sighed and hung her head, looking at her bendy straws again. She must've thought better of it, because she stood back up and walked past the hosts, heading for the stairs that would take us up to her apartment. "Here's the deal," she said as she passed. "You guys can have a quick peek, and then you're outta here."

"Yeah, and onto Haruhi's apartment," the twins said.

"I'll kill you first," Haruhi muttered.

"Kelsa-chan!" Honey held up a blue box. "Look! I brought you a gift! I know how you love cake!"

Kelsey sighed and fished her keys out of her purse. "Fine, I guess I'll make some tea..."

Honey cheered. "Yay!"

Kelsey unlocked the door, and the three of us filed in after her, leaving our shoes by the door. We set the bags of groceries on the counter and started unpacking them. (Seems we all knew the place as if we lived there. Funny how that works, huh?)

**3_3_3_3_3**

The girls had no idea the real reason that Tamaki and the hosts had just decided to "drop by." It was really because Tamaki had had a nightmare that Kelsey lived by herself in a decrepit, decaying old shack, that she only had rags for clothes, and had to fast for three days just to buy decent food. A terrible nightmare, indeed. At least, for Tamaki, it was.

But upon looking at her real apartment, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was bigger than he'd thought it would be—almost like a mini-house. There was a dining room table just to the right, a kitchen across from that (with barstools at the counter), a living room with sitting area on the other side of the kitchen counter, and a hallway past the kitchen that he assumed lead to the bedroom and bathroom.

It's not nearly as bad as my dream, he thought, relaxing.

Hikaru scoffed. "What a hovel," he muttered.

Tamaki grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him. "Shaddup!" he hissed. "It is _not_ a hovel!"

"Lemme go, boss!"

**3_3_3_3_3**

I glanced at Kyoya as his eyes scanned over the apartment. "It's small, but I suppose it's just right for one person."

All Kelsey said in reply was, "Yep."

"At least we know you won't..." "...hit your head on the low ceilings," the twins said, looking up at the ceiling hanging just a couple feet above their heads.

"You guys are just freakishly tall," Kelsey said.

We laughed a little.

She now seemed strangely calm about the fact that the entire Host Club was in her apartment. Then again, I knew Kelsey was good at hiding her emotions. Maybe, in her head, she was screaming at them to get out. And probably praying like crazy that none of them asked to see her room.

Honey smiled widely. "Well, I think it's a really cute little place!"

Kelsey smiled, but shook her head a little. "You don't have to struggle to compliment it or anything. I like it, so I don't really care what anyone thinks of it."

Honey looked down at our shoes near the door. "Wait, are we supposed to take off our shoes, too?" he asked.

"Yes, if you don't mind," Kelsey replied.

Honey smiled at Mori. "It's just like going to the dojo, huh, Takashi?"

"Yeah," Mori replied, nodding.

"You can all sit in the living room, if you'd like," she said. "It has the most room."

"Okay!" Honey said happily.

"Thanks for inviting us in," Honey and the twins said as they took off their shoes.

"Yeah, thanks," Mori said, following them.

"It's greatly appreciated," Tamaki said with a smile.

"Yes, thank you," Kyoya said.

And all of them went into the living room.

"Whoa! Why is it so small?" the twins asked.

"Ow," Mori said as Hikaru's elbow connected with his side.

Haruhi exhaled heavily. "I am _so_ glad they didn't just show up to my place."

"Just hope that Kyoya-senpai doesn't have your address keyed into a GPS or anything," Serin said.

We all looked at Kyoya, thinking that he probably _would_ do something like that.

"At any rate," Haruhi said, "I can't believe you're taking this so well, Kels."

Kelsey shrugged. "It's no big deal, really. I never have anybody over except you guys, so I just see this as new guests coming to visit."

"I know it's a tight fit, gentlemen," Tamaki said, "but just pull your knees in and sit gym-style! Commoners have specially developed this position to conserve space!"

All the hosts (except Kyoya) were sitting on the floor with their knees pulled up to their chests.

Kelsey facepalmed and sighed. "Even if these new guests are idiots..." She looked over at them, pushing up her glasses. "Guys, you can sit on the couches, you know. That's what they're there for."

"Oh, yeah..." Tamaki said.

We sighed.

Kelsey shook her head. "Just gotta get through this visit..." she said to herself.

"I'll make the tea," Haruhi said.

Kelsey nodded. "Okay."

"Hey, here's an idea."

We looked at Hikaru.

"Why don't you make this?" Hikaru held up an orange bag. "It's black tea that our father brought us as a souvenir from Africa. Here, try it."

Kelsey walked over to the back of the couch and took the bag in her hands. "Okay," she said. "No problem."

"It's best served as milk tea," Kaoru said. "Do you have milk?"

Kelsey tilted her head to the side, thinking. "I think so... I think I just got some today... I'll go check." And she came back into the kitchen.

As Kelsey was helping Haruhi with the "exotic African tea," Serin and I overheard a little conversation Tamaki and the twins were having.

After Kaoru's question, Tamaki had gasped and grabbed the twins. "Stop it!" he hissed. "What the hell are you doing? Don't be so mean to her, you idiots!"

I had to smile. I'm not quite sure why, but I had to.

"What do you mean?" the twins asked.

"I know you're trying to embarrass her by asking for that African tea! Look!"

They all looked over at Haruhi and Kelsey.

"They have no idea how they're supposed to prepare it!"

This started the three of them sobbing.

"She doesn't even have a teapot!" Hikaru said.

"They're too embarrassed to say anything!" Kaoru cried. "I'm sorry, Kelsey, Haruhi."

They looked up.

"You don't have to go to all that trouble! We don't need any tea! We'd be fine with a glass of water!"

They blinked at them.

"What?" Haruhi asked.

"Really, it's no trouble," Kelsey said as Haruhi put cups onto a tray. "Besides, we already made it."

"Oh," the twins replied. "Well, in that case..."

Serin rolled her eyes. "I have this urge to Sparta-kick them off something..."

I laughed softly. "You'd never do that."

"Well, who knows?" she said. "Maybe one day I'll snap and just start Sparta-kicking everyone." She looked at me. "You'd better run and hide when that day comes."

I laughed. "Will do."

Hikaru sighed. "Man, that was a close one, boss."

"We have been rescued by commoners' wisdom!" Tamaki said.

"What do you mean, boss?" the twins asked.

"Nothing we know to be true in the our world holds true here!" Tamaki said. "We have to be careful how we react! One little off-handed remark could break her heart. That means, in this fight...the first person to embarrass Kelsey loses!"

Kyoya sighed as he looked through the shelves of books on the wall. "While your antics are amusing, I don't see why you feel the need to turn this into a contest."

"And Kelsey's such a flustered and sensitive person as it is," Serin said quietly. "It's too easy to embarrass her."

I smiled and nodded. "You've got a point there."

Kelsey and Haruhi then went around distributing the tea cups.

"Sorry that not all the cups match," Kelsey said. "I'm used to serving a maximum of four." She smiled.

"Don't stress about it," Serin said. "They're just cups. It's the tea I'm after!"

Ordinarily, Serin only drank imported tea from the States (some kind with tons of sugar in it), so I was wondering why she was so excited about this tea.

Then I remembered who had brought the tea, and it all became clear.

As for me, let me at that black tea! I love it!

Honey hopped up from his seat and came over to the counter we were sitting at. "Come on! You girls can choose first!"

Oh, yeah, I thought. Cake!

"Are you sure, Honey-senpai?" Kelsey asked, looking at the box curiously.

"Go ahead," Hikaru said. "We're rich. We eat this kinda stuff all the time!"

Serin facepalmed, Tamaki and Kaoru went to shush Hikaru, and I stifled my laughter. What a goof.

"It's your apartment," Haruhi said, looking at Kelsey. "You go first."

Kelsey's eyes widened. "Me? Why me? I hate decisions!"

"Just pick a cake, woman!" Serin ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

I stifled my laughter again. You should know by now that this is typical of us.

Anywhoo, in short, Kelsey and I picked chocolate, and Serin and Haruhi picked strawberry. The hosts divvied up the rest as they saw fit, then we all went back to the living room to eat. We girls sat on the floor (because we didn't care), some of the hosts sat up on the couch, and others on the floors with us. Everyone seemed comfortable enough.

Kelsey took a bite of hers and smiled widely. "Delicious! Yay for chocolate!" She laughed.

I glanced at Tamaki, then tried not to smile as widely as Kelsey was. He looked like he was thinking something along the lines of, _She's so cute!_ He was blushing a little, and looked somewhat nervous. Kelsey was indeed cute, so it was easy to imagine him thinking that.

Haruhi was just about to stab her fork into her slice of cake, when another fork appeared on her plate. It was putting strawberries onto her plate. She looked up.

"You like strawberries, right?" Mori asked. "You can have mine."

Haruhi smiled. "Thanks! That's nice of you, Mori-senpai."

Mori just smiled then went back to his cake.

A few conversations went on while we ate our cake. Tamaki asked Kelsey about living there, and whether or not she liked it. Serin was telling the twins that they'd better shape up or she'd kick them out. Honey was stuffing his face, and Mori was silent. And Kyoya and I sat on opposite sides of the room, not even daring to make eye contact.

As I said before, typical.

Honey set his fork down, sighing happily. "Eating that cake sure whet my appetite."

"Isn't it about lunchtime now?" Hikaru wondered aloud.

"So what's for lunch?" the twins and Tamaki asked, smiling.

Kelsey blushed. "Oh, uh... I... Uh..."

Kyoya stood, reaching a hand into his pocket. "We'll take care of it," he said. "After all, we _did _drop in unexpectedly. So we'll pay for lunch. Why don't you just order us some of your favorite sushi?"

Haruhi quickly stood. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have a feeling that if we let you pay now, we'll only regret it later."

"Oh, don't worry." He pulled out a gold credit card. "We'll just pay for it using the profits from the things of yours we auctioned off on our site."

We groaned.

"So we're paying for it after all," Haruhi muttered.

Kelsey stood. "Well, if that's what you want," she said. "I know a guy who runs a sushi shop, and their stuff's pretty high quality. I'll just go give him a call."

Tamaki suddenly gasped and pulled out paper and a pencil. (I have no idea where he got these items.) He scribbled out a note, then held it out to Kelsey, looking around as if he were afraid he was being watched. He wasn't exactly being subtle, so it was hard _not_ to watch him.

Kelsey looked at the paper, then raised an eyebrow. She looked at Tamaki. "Uh... Thanks for the tip. I guess..."

"What?" Haruhi asked.

Kelsey handed her the paper as she walked by and went into the kitchen.

Haruhi glared at Tamaki. "She's not stupid!" she snapped. "She can figure that out for herself!"

Tamaki started wailing. "How could you be so mean, Haruhi? Daddy even tried to dress casually so he wouldn't embarrass any of you!"

Serin rolled her eyes. "I feel like Sparta-kicking him..."

I shook my head. I can't believe he's still got the "daddy" thing going on, I thought. "What did it say, Haruhi?" I asked.

She sighed and handed it to me. I held it out for Serin and I to read. It said:

_Kelsey, be careful! Just because the package says "high quality" doesn't mean it is!_

Tamaki had signed it with a crown over his name.

"Okay," Serin said. "Now I _really_ wanna Sparta-kick him."

I laughed. "Oh, chill out. His heart's in the right place."

"Yeah, but his mind is long gone."

"Aren't all of ours?"

We laughed.

Honey peeked over the couch at Kelsey, who was flipping through a phone book. "I'd really love it if you'd make something for us," he said.

Tamaki and the twins looked at Honey, their eyes wide with fear.

Kelsey looked at him. She blinked for a few moments. "Well...I guess I could make something." She closed the phone book. "But it'll take me some time."

"We can wait!" Honey said happily.

"Why didn't we think to ask her that?" the twins sobbed.

Tamaki gasped. "That means we'll get to eat...Kelsey's cooking." He practically had stars in his eyes.

"A long-imagined dream of his come true, I'm sure," Haruhi said dryly.

Serin sighed. "I can't take much more of this..."

"Let's go help Kels then," I said.

"Good idea." Serin nodded.

The three of us stood and went into the kitchen.

Kelsey sighed. "Looks like I'm gonna have to go back to the store again."

The twins gasped.

"We're coming, too!" Hikaru cried.

"We want to see a commoners' supermarket!" Kaoru chimed in.

"Me too! Me too!" Honey said happily.

"This could be a learning experience."

Three guesses as to who said that. Hint—he wears glasses.

Kelsey exhaled. "Okay. But you'll have to go in your own cars. There's no way we're all squeezing into mine."

"Wouldn't that be an experience?" Serin said with a grin.

"Get your head outta the gutter," I said, shaking my head.

"Only when you get the blonde out of yours," she replied, smacking me.

"Ow...!"

"Yay!" the twins cheered. And they went out the door, chanting, "Commoners' supermarket! Commoners' supermarket!"

"This is gonna be fun," Honey giggled. He went out, Mori and Kyoya following along behind.

"So much for a day off," Haruhi said. "We'd better go after them before they start exploring your car."

"Right," Kelsey said, nodding.

Serin and I started following Haruhi out, but then I noticed Kelsey lagging behind for some reason. I stopped just outside the door, peeking back in.

"Senpai?" she asked.

Tamaki was looking at the fishbowl sitting on the counter. He watched two bright orange goldfish swim back and forth across the glass bowl.

Kelsey stepped closer. "Are you coming?"

Tamaki smiled. "Oh, yes, of course." He looked back at the tank. "So these are you fish?"

Kelsey smiled, scratching the back of her head. (I knew she was blushing—and smiling—, even though her back was to me.) "Yeah. Jane and Elizabeth."

I smiled. I know where she got those names, I thought.

"Ah, _Pride and Prejudice._"

And, apparently, so did Tamaki.

"Y-Yes," Kelsey said, sounding a little surprised.

"How do you tell them apart?" he asked.

She stepped closer and looked at the bowl. "See the one with the tinges of black on her fins? That's Elizabeth. The lighter one is Jane."

He smiled at her. "So if you don't like fish, why do you have two of them?"

She didn't reply for a moment, just looked at the bowl. "Because... Because if I only had one...it would get lonely. I figured it would need a friend."

He smiled. "Can't have lonely fish, now can you?"

She laughed softly. "No, it'd be terrible."

They both laughed a little.

I smiled to myself. This is ridiculous, I thought. He needs to kiss her. Like, now.

Aaandd...I should probably get down there before Serin yells that I'm a snoop and ruins this. Kelsey can fill us in later.

I walked away from the door, a question Tamaki had posed about her plants following after me.

I thought about what Kelsey had said about her fish as I went down the stairs to the sidewalk. She didn't want her fish to get lonely, and that's why she had two. Tamaki didn't know it, but there was so much behind even that little thing. She knew loneliness, and she didn't want any other living creature—human or animal—to ever feel loneliness. She even put aside her own dislike of fish to make sure that didn't happen.

I exhaled and looked up at the sky. Maybe Tamaki-senpai doesn't know as much as we do, I thought, but that doesn't mean he can't have feelings for her that are real. Kyoya-senpai doesn't get that. He doesn't get it at all.

Kyoya-senpai may be a certified genius on some subjects (just as Tamaki-senpai is), but I'm starting to think that he really doesn't know the first thing about the most important subject in this world: Love.

**3_3_3_3_3**

"You name your plants?" Tamaki asked.

Kelsey blushed a little. "It gives some personality to them, I think. And it's kinda what happens when you live alone. You go insane and start talking to your plants and fish."

They both laughed.

Tamaki looked up, picture frames on the wall catching his eye. He walked over to get a better look at them. "Are these your parents?"

Kelsey went to stand next to him. She pointed at the pictures that were of her parents. "These are, yes. The others are of my grandmother."

Tamaki smiled. "And the little girl is you?"

She blushed again. "Yeah, that's me."

"You take after your mother."

"Grandmother always told me that," she said.

"She was beautiful."

Kelsey blushed, shifting her gaze down to the floor. "Yes, she was," she said quietly, adjusting her glasses.

He smiled again, then looked back at the pictures. She was adorable when she was little, he thought. Not to say that she isn't still... She's completely and totally adorable... Geez, Tamaki, get a hold of yourself, he told himself. Just...change the subject.

He cleared his throat. "What did your parents do?"

"My father managed a small chain of supermarkets, and my mother was a teacher. My grandmother always told me how much my mother's students loved her. Said she was the best teacher any school had ever seen. That she was kind and wise and caring..."

Tamaki smiled. "She must've been a great teacher. I can tell. You can't fool these eyes, Kelsey."

Kelsey looked at him. "I'm not so sure about that, senpai."

He sighed and she laughed.

"But..." Her grandmother's voice echoed through her mind.

_"You're so much like her, little Kelsey. Beautiful, smart, and ever-so strong. Your mother could stand up through anything without help from anyone. You're like that, too, I can tell already. But just remember that you don't have to stand through things alone. Reach out to others for help. You'd be surprised at what allies can do."_

Kelsey smiled at the memory. "They were great women. Both of them."

Tamaki glanced at her, then looked away, blushing. "Uh... We should get going, don't you think? Everyone's waiting for us."

"Oh, right," Kelsey said, nodding.

Tamaki turned to go towards the door, but his foot slipped on (of all things) a banana peel. (The twins had probably put it there when no one was looking.) He cried out in surprise as he started falling. And he fell on Kelsey. (She hadn't had time to move out of the way.)

They both grunted as they hit the floor.

Tamaki lifted himself up a little, wincing. "That hurt," he said tightly.

"Ouch..."

Tamaki gasped and looked down. "Kelsey! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, rubbing the back of her head. She looked up at him, noticing that their faces couldn't have been more than six inches apart. She blushed like crazy. Act cool! she told herself. Don't freak out! And for the love of all that's good, don't go to that happy place in the back of your head. NOT NOW! She swallowed. "But...you _are_ on top of me."

They looked at each other in silence for what seemed like minutes (but was really just around five seconds), then Kelsey started when she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, Kelsey! I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd just stop by to say hi! Why'd you leave the door...open?"

Kelsey's eyes widened and she swallowed again.

Standing in the doorway was a person in a skirt and top, a purse over their shoulder. The person was wearing makeup, and had long flowing reddish hair. It appeared to be a woman. But Kelsey knew better.

"Um..." She glanced at Tamaki, then looked back at the person. "Hi...Mr. Fujioka."


End file.
